


Eleven

by ChiaToma



Series: Numverse [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:13:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 21
Words: 108,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22366204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChiaToma/pseuds/ChiaToma
Summary: Kris is an alpha.An alpha with Eleven Omegas to find, love, protect and cherish for all his life.One he already has by his side, his second is not too far away and the rest are waiting for him in the big wide world.But there are those who are jealous, those who want to hurt his omegas and they'll do anything to cause harm.Though it's never a good idea to mess with the big bad wolf.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Huang Zi Tao | Z.Tao/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Kim Jongdae | Chen/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Kim Jongin | Kai/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Kim Junmyeon | Suho/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Kim Minseok | Xiumin/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Lu Han/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Oh Sehun/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Park Chanyeol/Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Wu Yi Fan | Kris/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay
Series: Numverse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1777258
Comments: 138
Kudos: 248





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, it's been a long whilst since I've written an EXO Wolf story and this sort of hit me a few months ago and refused to be let go of and I've been working on it since. 
> 
> Now, this is an OT12 fic, will feature all of EXO in their proper ways and will be very nostalgic. It's based purely in the Wolf/Growl era (still my favourite era) so appearances and looks are all based on that era. (So Luhan has pink hair, Kris and Tao will be blond, Sehun is not escaping without his rainbow etc). 
> 
> This is also an Wolfau with Alpha, Betas, Omegas and their complicated relationships. All of Exo other than Kris are Omegas (though a few could easily be mistaken for Betas -cough- Baekhyun -cough- Chen -cough-) and I use an different marking system than the norm because having eleven bites on his neck would just get confusing. It is explained in fic though of how it works so hopefully it makes sense (if it doesn't, please let me know and I'll try to clarify). Also, there are some rather unique traits for certain omegas, but these also get explained in quite graphic detail so I'll pop a little warning (though most of us readers here are girls and pretty much you'll get what's going on). 
> 
> Otherwise, hello loves, welcome back to the madness that is Exo OT12 as wolves with Kris having to be a protective alpha looking after all the crazy babies. This is going to be a mixture of angst, cute, family drama, confusion, more angst, love, more fluff and hopefully something really good. Now I am working full time and have my own original stories to keep track of so this is probably going to be a slow update - I've gotten chapter 2 done and started one 3 - cause I've got stuff on but anyone whose been with me before knows this all too well. Give me a nudge once in a while though I do love this story too much already to really abandon it. 
> 
> Well, that's enough babbling from me, let's get this show on the road and please feel free to drop me comments

Rain thundered down onto the muddy ground below his bare feet, but Kris could barely notice the feeling of dirt as he strode boldly through the gathered circle of alphas. All of them were jeering loudly, making rude comments or else laughing and it made him feel sick to the core for reasons that he could not explain. 

A clap of thunder had been the thing to awaken him on this dreary night, but it was the noise of these hapless idiots that had made him unable to fall back asleep. For the first few minutes anyway, when his senses were still clogged with the confusion of a disturbed sleep, and then the lingering remains of a flu which had seen the alpha bedridden and confined for the past week. Thankfully, much to Kris’s relief, the symptoms of the flu were finally fading even though they desperately clung to his nose and eyes like leeches, and it gave him a chance to be able to figure out just why the virtually all of the alphas he was forced to share a dorm with were jeering loudly in the middle of the night. During a freaking storm too. 

Once his confused senses had actually caught up with him however, all thoughts of simply pulling the blankets over his head and snuggling back into the pillows, as it was two thirty in the morning, zapped straight out into the rainy night to be gobbled up by the booming thunder and flashing lightening. There was a very sweet smell on the air, one of green tea and orange blossoms that was refreshing and heavenly, but it was infused with a desperation, a spike of musk that allured the senses to salivate. An omega, in heat, smelling absolutely divine. Normally Kris would not be bothered by such a smell, he was one of the few alphas who could honestly be standing right next to any omega who was going into heat with a clear head to be able to get them to safety. Kris never let the sweet enticing smell drive his wolf mad with sudden desire or an unbending will to take the omega without their consent. Many gave him hell because of it, but he could care less about alphas who fucked around with omegas like they were nothing more than precious playthings for them to use and throw away. 

The sweet smell wasn’t what had Kris leaving the warmth of his bed either, to walk barefoot out into the middle of the courtyard where all the stupidly loud, jeering alphas were. There was something far more pressing in that moment and it virtually blinded him to everything else. 

Whilst he knew that he would find an omega in heat in the middle of the jeering alphas and would have probably gone to help them regardless of the situation, the reason why he was shoving his way through the crowd of thick headed beasts was simply the fact that over all the noise, over all the sweet enticing smells, there was one dominating emotion which ripped the alpha’s heart out. The omega in the middle of all these bastards was completely and utterly devastated. Humiliated, degraded, injured, helpless and calling out for help in the tiniest voice imaginable that went unheard by all the leering, horny slobs that were prowling around him like he was a lamb to the slaughter. None of them cared that the omega was hurt or needed to be taken away from all this madness, they only cared about getting laid and that sickened Kris. 

Grabbing hold of someone’s arm, he could care less who the alpha was, Kris shoved him roughly to the side, causing him to crash into a couple of others. “Hey arsehole!” the alpha shouted, “Wait your turn. You’ll get a piece of the little rat soon enough.” 

Kris turned to give the offender a glare, satisfied immensely when the speakers face fell naturally into a look of terror as he quickly stepped back. It was a fool who took on Kris, the cold bitch-faced alpha known to be one of the toughest in the school. He was Captain of the Basketball team, Vice-President of the School Council and rumoured to be the Principles nephew. He towered over most of the alphas in the school, standing at six foot two with broad shoulders and a build that hid most of his strength. He was sculpted like an Adonis, breathtakingly beautiful with dark eyes and his hair dyed a dark blond and always styled up away from his head to add to his already impressive appearance. He was sharp, quick witted and took no prisoners if someone were to piss him off. 

More of the alphas turned away and stepped aside when they felt Kris approaching them, his aura giving them plenty of warning that he was coming and the ones who were too caught up in juvenile emotions, quickly learnt to pay attention when a good hard shove would send them either into one of the other alphas bodies or else the muddy floor. The noise levels had dropped drastically, replaced by frantic whispers of his name and a feeling of worry passing through most of the assembled idiots. Good Kris thought to himself as he strode forward, ignoring the freezing rain which was pelting down his bare back and torso, exposing his muscles and the scars of several fights he had gotten into recently. At least these pups are finally beginning to learn something.

Now that most of the vile jeering had stopped, it was easier to hear the terrified whimpers of the omega in the centre of the ring and smell the blood. 

Anger boiled at Kris’s very being as he pushed through the few lingering alphas who seemed to be frozen in shock at his appearance. He saw one pulling himself up slowly from a prone figure on the floor, thankfully still clothed and the alpha slightly raised his hands up before stepping away. Kris snarled as the other opened his mouth to say something, “Get away. All of you.” 

There was a beat of silence. “Now!” 

Some of the alphas scurried away in haste, others skulked like boys who had been caught stealing from the cookie jar but three remained. One he wasn’t worried about, having noticed his late arrival in wolf form with pieces of bloodied rope sticking to his limbs and a gaunt that suggested he had been drugged but a fierce determination to rip someone apart right this second. The grey wolf bristled with rage and anger, snarling threats but still too far gone. The second to remain was the one who had been over the distressed omega, his submissive stance was unusual for an alpha however and Kris noted that he was actually quite small and delicate looking with curly hair and eyes that normally shone softly but were filled with anger and fear right now. Kris had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he knew the other but could not place him right at that moment in time. 

Though he didn’t really care as clearly whoever the boy was, he wanted to protect the omega on the floor so that was fine. Kris turned his attention to the only alpha to remain and he snarled. “I gave you an order.” 

“I heard it, but I’m not going to go,” the man replied, a smirk on his lips and Kris had to resist the urge to immediately pounce on the speaker. Deng Yi was the lower schools class president but the way he acted; anyone would think that he was the Student Council President. He was young, spoilt, extremely cocky and took no orders from anyone other than those in his family and if he wanted something, virtually all of the student body would give into him because he could make life very difficult for anyone if he felt like it. “That little omega bitch is in heat, if you hadn’t noticed and there’s only one way to deal with it. So, I’m going to take it whilst I’m here.” 

A whimper came from the omega behind, soft, full of fear and humiliation and a desperate plea to be taken away from this nightmare. Kris glanced back over his shoulder to find himself meeting pair of the softest brown eyes he had ever seen, with small little flecks of yellow in them to make it appear that the omegas eyes would sparkle in the sunlight. The boy was covered in mud, had bite marks and bruises visible on his face and was weeping silently as he clung to the fully clothed boy who had previously been covering him. Kris felt his heartbeat heavily in his chest before turning back towards Deng Yi with a growl, “You’ll fuck off before I kick your tail from here to the other side of school to dump it on the doorstep of your brother.” 

Deng Yi snorted a laugh towards him, “I ain’t afraid of you, Wu, that omega is mine tonight and you can’t stop me.” 

Anger rose up in Kris’s throat, a growl deep a powerful slipping past his lips only once before he charged forward toward the smirking bastard. He didn’t care about the politics of the school right now, he only wanted to make sure that this bastard couldn’t inflict any pain on the already distressed omega and if he had to face expulsion from the school for it, then so be it.

Clothes tore from his body as he changed, his wolf blending into the storm with its grey and white fur before barrelling headfirst into Deng Yi. A snap of jaws nearly claimed the others smirk before he too turned into a wolf of plain dark grey and snapped straight back at him. Claws tore against flesh, teeth snapped and clashed whilst hard bodies danced back and forth in an attempt to overpower one another. Deng Yi was quick and agile, able to dodge quickly and think fast but lacked the ability to keep track of what was going on around him, which allowed the only other alpha who had turned up with ropes on his body to slam into his side and send him scuttling into one of the fences. The wood cracked and splintered with the impact, but Kris took the opportunity to pounce along with the other wolf, who was a light russet colour and pinned Deng Yi down. 

Sharp teeth dug into Kris’s right hand leg, breaking through the flesh to drawn blood and in return Kris snapped off the others ear before latching his jaws around the others neck. It took a full minute for Deng Yi to go down, the circulation of oxygen to his brain cut off but not enough to kill him but it still felt like an eternity. 

The two alphas remained on top of the downed wolf for a moment or two longer, ensuring that he wasn’t about to jump up and sneak attack them from behind before both let go and moved back. They heaved great gusts of air out into the night air, before stepping back further and transforming into their human forms. Almost immediately clothes were flung their way and neither boy said a word as they pulled them on, but they kept their heads down. Two more alphas had joined them, but these two were alphas who held the real authority over the school. The Headmaster, Han Geng and the Student President, Zhou Mi. 

Han Geng was the first to speak, “What happened here?” 

“Someone worked out that there were omegas due to go into heat,” Kevin spoke up immediately, hoping up his bruised and rope burned wrists. “They must have drugged my food or my drink because I came too tied up in the bathhouse around the back. They had cut off all the call points and the emergency call points and taken my phone so I could only follow the smell of blood and ended up here.” Kevin Shin was a young mated alpha who was one of the regular guards around the omega dorms. He was a force to be dealt with as he was trained in all aspects of his job to be virtually an indestructible force. So, for him to be taken out like that meant someone really wanted to get involved with omegas. “When I got here, it appeared that Wu had ordered most of the alphas away, but Deng Yi refused and said that he would take the omega regardless of the order to leave. Wu warned him again, but he refused and then a fight broke out between them.” 

Feeling the heavy eyes land on him, Kris just about managed to keep his tone polite because he could still feel the distress coming off in waves from the wounded omega and something was telling him that he had to get over to him now. “I got woken up by the storm and heard a commotion outside. I would have left it if not for the smell of a distressed omega and I went to investigate. They were gathered around him like a filthy pack of degenerates and I could smell that someone had hurt him, but I couldn’t tell you who and I went to get there but then…” 

“Enough with the yapping!” a deep female voice yelled from across the courtyard, “Deng Yi is a sick twat who got what was coming to him.” Amber sounded as fierce as she ever did, her blue eyes blazing with fury. “Wu, get your ass over here right now!” 

Not one to argue with the Head Omega in the slightest, Kris picked himself up and hurried across to her, though he wasn’t exactly sure as to why. The Head Omega was clearly pissed off, but her eyes softened considerably as he reached her. Long slender fingers caught his right arm, causing the alpha to hiss in pain which was drowned out by the loud clicking of tongue against teeth. Amber shook her head, “That’s going to leave a scar.” 

Kris just pulled his arm lightly away from the omega, not meaning to cause any offense but now that he was this close to the injured and humiliated omega, protective instincts had kicked in and he knelt down in the mud to gather the weeping boy into his embrace. “Oh gods,” he whispered lightly, pulling the shivering boy closer as he naturally curled up into the familiar protective warmth, “Oh my…I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry.” 

A hiccup was his response, the thin arms wrapping around his neck as more tears continued to flow down from the sweet brown eyes. Long black hair, which was usually as soft as silk was mattered with mud and rough to the touch whilst the tears would not stop. The slender frame was exposed to the cruel elements of the night as only a school shirt remained clinging to the body which offered next to no protection in the slightest. The boy’s bare legs, which were long and graceful and perfect for a dancer with just a little extra build around the thigh which Kris always found adorable, were starkly white in the moonlight, allowing the streaks of red to glisten like knives. 

Guilt ate up the alpha in that moment, all those promises that he made, all the times that he had said he would never allow this precious omega to get hurt and here he was, offering what little comfort he could in the nights sky. Tears of shame built up in his eyes, he couldn’t believe for a moment that he had been so foolish to allow this to happen. It shouldn’t have happened under his watch, it shouldn’t have happened to any omega, never mind one of his own. His precious little dancer, his beautiful Yixing was now crying in his arms after being hurt by another and it made him feel weak and dishonest. 

A growl tore from his lips when a sudden pain shot through his neck and he turned with a snap of his jaws, only to see Zhou Mi standing over him with a small patch in his fingers. “Don’t feel no guilt, Wu, they got to you too.” 

Kris frowned before reaching for the patch, snatching it out of the other hands and softly turning it over. The word ‘blocker’ was the only thing he really managed to discern in the grim light provided by a nearby lamp that was virtually doused out because of the rain. Disgust made him instantly throw it away with another growl whilst shaking his head, “I should be better than this.” 

Zhou Mi sat on his haunches next to him, “Kris, don’t think of it now. Go take care of Yixing, that is your main priority right now.” 

Turning his dark eyes to his student president, Kris took a calming breath before nodding his head towards the other and gently looked down at Yixing. “Baobei,” he whispered. 

“I know,” Yixing murmured back softly, “Only you.” 

Pressing a kiss to the top of Yixing’s head, Kris carefully scooped the fragile boy into a bridal hold in order to keep him as close to the warmth of his body, as well as lessen any possible pain that could be running through the youngers body right now. He once again nearly jumped out of his skin when another figure approached him, but he was quick to recover when he realised that it was an omega approaching with a blanket to cover Yixing. Though Kris was quick to blink his surprise as he realised that the small framed man in front of him was the alpha who had been covering Yixing when he arrived on the scene. Now that he could clearly see him, he realised that the curly haired boy was in fact Luhan, the omega Captain of the Football team who looked to be a delicate little flower but was as tough as nails. 

Kris bowed his head towards the other, “Thank you.” 

Luhan smiled shyly, looking a mixture between exhausted and upset. For a second Kris was sure that he wanted to say something, something important but instead he shook his head and sighed a little before focusing on his task of making sure the blanket was wrapped carefully around Yixing’s shivering body. “Take good care of him.” 

Kris nodded, “I will. I owe you a huge debt of gratitude and I’ll return the favour anyway I can.” 

Stepping around the omega, Kris started off towards the bath house, his attention now focused solely on Yixing so he did not see Luhan silently wrap his arms around his frame caught between feeling elation at finally being noticed, or despair that he already knew the alpha of his dreams was captured by another omega who was far more sweeter than he could ever hope to be. Amber stepped up to her fellow omega and hugged him, “Give it time, have a little patience and you’ll see what you can’t yet.” 

“I feel so happy for them,” Lu Ham replied, hiccupping back the tears, “I love seeing them together…by my heart hurts Jiejie, it hurts so much at the same time.” 

Amber sighed and guided Luhan away, noting that Han Geng and Zhou Mi were towering over Deng Yi and lightly shook her head. She kept her thoughts to herself for the time being and headed back to the omega dorm with Luhan. This was not the time to get embroiled in anything more dangerous than what had already happened tonight, and she was pretty sure that Luhan would not wish to witness the punishment that would be inflicted upon the young alpha. Though it wouldn’t be half as bad as the one which would be delivered to the one who had hurt Kris’s omega, that would be a brutal beating indeed. 

The bathhouse was thankfully warm and smelt fresh and inviting which was a relief to the senses. Now that they were both out of the rain, Kris could smell the heat that had enticed the alphas so much clinging to his beloved omega and lightly he kissed the top of the other head. “I don’t want to ask but…” 

“They didn’t,” Yixing said, sniffling a little as he curled closer to his alpha, “their claws just caught me when they…” The pause was accompanied by a shiver and the lithe dancer leaned closer to his alpha, taking the comfort that he could from the familiar warm scent. “ripped my clothes off.” 

Kris sighed, knowing that his beloved omega could never tell a lie and plus he would probably see the truth of the matter soon enough anyway. “Who did it?” 

Yixing shook his head, clinging quietly to the other as shivers began to rock through his body. Kris took a steadying breath, “Xing, who dared to touch you?” 

Tears welled up in the other eyes and he whimpered just a little. Kris shifted his position a little so that he could place his long fingers under the others chin and tilt his head upwards to look him straight in the eye. He didn’t even need to open his mouth to state the same question once again before Yixing blurted, “If I say they’ll just hurt Luhan and I can’t…” 

“Right,” Kris said softly, leaning forward to press a kiss to Yixing’s lips in order to calm him down. “I get you, don’t worry. Luhan won’t be hurt.” 

Yixing stared at Kris, his eyes wide and disbelieving for a second before he melted under a gently hand caressing the back of his neck. “I’ll deal with them quietly and if they so much as hurt a hair on the top of Luhan’s head then I’ll kick their arses so hard.” 

The omegas hands latched onto the alpha’s shirt, “Please, don’t. Just leave them be.” 

“Yixing,” Kris started. 

“No, hear me out,” Yixing stated, shaking his head. “If you know really know who they are, and what they can do you’ll stay away for me. Because if you do something to them, they’ll get you kicked out and unable to return and then neither of us will be safe.” 

A deep sigh escaped from Kris’s lips, before he leaned forward to place his forehead on to the omegas, “So selfless, my love.” 

“So selfish,” Yixing replied, shuddering a little more, “I want you here by my side always, I want to know that I can call you to me no matter what happens and if they send you away…where would that leave me?” 

Gently brushing the long strands of hair out of the others face, Kris looked down at his omega who by rights should have been screaming the place down with what had just potentially happened to him and demanding to know where he had been because he had just basically failed as a protective alpha. Yet here Yixing was, sharing all the love in his beautiful heart and thinking about the consequences of not taming the wild beast. Kris knew fine well who had attempted to hurt his omega, and there would have to be some form of retribution dealt by him because it was his right to do so, but it was true that if he got expelled then he would be thrown to the human city miles away and would probably never make it back to the protected school that they attended. That would leave Yixing and Luhan in great peril as they were two of the most desired omegas in the school and whilst everyone was jealous of the fact that Kris had clearly caught the primary’s affections, there were many alphas who were determined to claim Luhan before his marked pair could snatch them away. 

Kris just wished that the other omega would deem to talk to him for five minutes, instead of shying away every time he tried to approach the football captain, so he could show him that there was nothing to fear or feel guilty about; but even though Luhan was clearly infatuated with him, he was being the good omega he was supposed to be and staying away so as not to jeopardise Yixing’s chance with him. 

However, what Luhan didn’t know was that Kris was already wearing Luhan’s mark on his right arm. Just below Yixing’s unicorn, was a series of circles held within an infinity sign and it had only been by accident that the pair had realised that it was Luhan’s mark. All omegas bore their own distinct mark, it was invisible until just before their first heat and even then it merely appeared to be an area of extremely dry skin that appeared on the corresponding body part of where their future alpha would have an identical mark. The mark went through several phases, the first being the dry skin form where it was not really possible to form an idea of what the mark looked like, the second was a more defined shaping to the dryness of the skin, the third phase would see the dry skin smooth and turn an very light alternative shade to the natural skin colour of the omega which usually meant that they had met their mate but not fully connected with them and then finally the colour pigment would become stronger and the mark completely defined to signify that their mate had been found and they had been joined together symbolically as soul mates. 

Yixing had a unicorn on his right hand shoulder, in the same spot at Kris did on his and over the last month the dry itchy skin had been replaced by a more dark and defined skin that was smooth on both their bodies as they had connected. Luhan’s mark had only appeared around a month ago, still incredibly light and little undefined but there. Yixing had squealed on the day when he realised who the mark had belonged to, having helped the football captain with a sprained shoulder, but insofar neither he nor Kris had been able to catch Luhan alone to talk things over. 

Whilst omegas did not get their marks until their first heat, alphas bore the dry patches of skin from the age of twelve onwards and Kris was rather unique. In total, Kris had eleven patches of dry skin on both his arms. Five on his right and six on his left. When they had first appeared, it was thought that he had reaction to a new bathing product, but it later transpired that the young alpha was destined to have eleven mates. Eleven omegas to look after and protect. Not an easy feat to begin even contemplating, but something that strangely always drove the young alpha onwards because he knew that he was going to have to be one of the best alphas in the entire world to just cope with that number of omegas, never mind love them all and ensure their safety and happiness. 

Which was why guilt eating at him heavily when he heard Yixing begin to hiccup as tears slipped once again from his eyes. Gently the alpha pulled the omega into a hug and pressed kisses to his head, doing nothing more than holding onto the other for the time being and allowing the omega to deal with this horrible situation in the way that he wanted to deal with it. There was still rage in his heart, a primal urge to go and rip the monsters head off who had dared to use vile trickery to touch his omega, but it could wait. His primary concern right now was to ensure that Yixing was going to be fine and revenge could come later. 

The bath was filled with fresh water from the hot springs and Kris very gently peeled the school shirt away from Yixing’s skin, after the omega had stopped shaking so much. If he hadn’t been so concerned with trying to protect the other, ensure that he was comfortable and doing perfectly fine, Kris probably wouldn’t have been caught off guard by the others sudden sharp movements. Whilst caught up in his guilt at failing to protect Yixing, Kris had forgotten that his first omega was in heat and even though maybe now wasn’t the right time for anything to be happening, lips found one another in a needful exchange. 

At first it was just simple pecks, which became longer and slowly had the pair twisting their heads to the side so that their noses didn’t clonk together painfully, before tongues slowly got involved. It was slow, passionate and explorative as neither alpha nor omega had ever really kissed this way before but that didn’t matter in the slightest. Yixing let out a little moan when he felt Kris’s large hands slip down his bare back, twisting his body into a much easier position and responded in turn by tugging at the alpha’s shirt. “Kris…” he moaned breathily, his hips cantering forward on their own accord which made the other instinctively reach out to support his thighs and buttocks. 

“Yixing,” Kris somehow just about managed to restrain himself, though it was extremely difficult with the deft little fingers pulling open every button on the shirt that he was wearing accompanied by devilishly little caresses from the sinful fingers. “You’re hurt and someone just…” 

“I know, Kris!” Yixing snapped, his watery eyes glaring into Kris’s, “Believe me I know! But I’m not going to let them win.” His voice was filled with such a determination, such conviction that it was extremely frightening to behold. “I’m in heat, they tried to rape me, but they didn’t and now all I want is you to take away the fear and loathing in myself because you’re my alpha. My one and only and even if I have to share you in the future, right now, I just want you.” 

Kris felt his heart pounding in his chest, those words meaning so much on so many levels, but he knew that he couldn’t push things too far. Carefully he raised his hands to Yixing’s face, caressing his tear stained cheeks with his thumbs before leaning forward to kiss the other again. “I know. I know and understand that my love. But I’m not going to hurt you. I love you too much for that.” 

The omega shuddered as more tears threatened to fall, despair in his reaction but Kris knew that this was the heat taking over Yixing’s brain and making the omega think irrationally. His beautiful Yixing, who had so much love to share that he hardly ever gave into his base desires was currently in a state of shock, having been brutalised and hurt and thrown into a rollercoaster of emotions due to a naturally occurring set of hormones that generally spelt trouble for even the strongest of omegas. Kris wasn’t the type to go abusing his position as an alpha at the best of times, he was certainly not going to allow himself to hurt his omega any further than he had been tonight, but he wasn’t going to leave him feeling alone and unloved. 

“I’m going to help you, Yixing. I’m going to tend to the wounds on your body, I’m going to clear away the dirt and grime and I’m going to wrap you up in the safest part of the school and make sure that no one but me comes near you,” he paused for a fraction of a second, “Well excluding anyone who I deem safe enough to help, and when this madness has passed, then we’ll talk about what exactly we are to do next.” 

The omega blinked repeatedly at him, before breaking down into a new set of tears and threw himself around the alpha as he cried unashamedly. It was so tempting to follow through with what their bodies wanted, to breed the other like the desperate omega he was but Kris wasn’t going to do such a terrible thing. Yixing’s body was ready but his mind was scattered, shocked, frightened and the blond haired alpha wasn’t going to allow himself to mate someone who could easily break whenever they got intimate. Yixing would claim that it would never happen, that the events of the night wouldn’t affect him, but it would only be an idiot who would believe something like that. Sexual assault could not be fixed simply by throwing yourself at an alpha whom you trusted with all your heart. It would only add insult to injury and Kris was not going to have it. Especially if he were going to spend the rest of his life with Yixing. He wanted the day they mated to be special, to be filled with joy and sweetly spoken promises. Not rushed and frantic knee-jerk reactions to something terrible that had happened. 

Though Kris would provide Yixing with all the kisses that he needed, because at the moment it was about the only thing that was keeping him grounded. 

Judging that the omega was in a state that could be considered to be relaxed enough, Kris gently stood up and carried the injured male over to a bench before gently coaxing him to lie on his front. Softly he pulled the blanket away from the skin, apologising quietly at the whimpers which came from the other as some of the fabric had stuck to the wounds. There was a lot of blood, more than he had initially expected there to be and the alpha bit back a growl before carefully picking up a bucket and filling it with water from the bath. He grabbed a spare washcloth, just in time to hear a polite knock at the door. A frown filtered onto his face but there was a smell of an omega on the opposite side so he lightly patted Yixing head and headed across. 

Luhan was once again in his line of vision, looking a little on the bedraggled side as he held out a small box with what appeared to be a selection of supplies from the infirmary, some clean towels and a few other bits and pieces. He blushed brightly at seeing the alpha and looked down, “I…I thought…you would need these. For Yixing.” 

“Thank you,” Kris said, feeling his heart go out to the other as it was clear that he had barely taken any care of himself. Was it a trait of all omegas to care so much about others that they would neglect themselves? (Kris would later come to learn that no, not all omegas were as selfless as his first two lovers were. Some were selfless, other selfish, bratty and very clingy to the point of being annoying but they all cared about one another to the point where they just seemed to know exactly when to help, how to help and whose arse to go and kick from one side of the country to the other.)

The blush did not fade any less, and once again Kris knew that Luhan wasn’t able to find the words that he probably needed to speak. Though a sweet smell of lavender and freshly ground coffee did reach Kris’s nose and kicked his alpha senses into overdrive. “Erm, you wouldn’t be able to get us some food and clothes, would you? We should be in the huts by the time you get back…” 

Luhan blinked, looking very much like a deer caught in headlights and boy did the wolf inside Kris want to pounce so badly. Whether he would admit it or not, the other looked adorable and it was only the smell of blood that was literally stopping anything else from occurring because he couldn’t see any open wounds on Luhan. Thankfully, however the omega managed a nod in reply and looked down, exposing a large bruise on his neck. Within the space of a heartbeat, Kris was right next to the omega, hand gently caressing the wounded flesh as more rage built up and there was a sudden shiver to the omega that had the alphas’ guts twisting in fear. 

Disguised by the mud and poor lighting earlier, Kris has not noticed that Luhan’s uniform was askew and dirty, plus some of it did not belong to the fragile looking boy in the slightest. There were several bruises forming on his face, similar to the ones that Yixing was sporting in addition to the one on his neck and there was blood on the pale skin of Luhan’s feet. Feeling the omega shiver again, Kris looked up to see someone who was so close to the point of breaking down that he just knew that he couldn’t leave him alone. 

“Don’t!” Luhan said, pulling back suddenly, “Please don’t.” 

“Luhan…” Kris started

The scared omega shook his head, “I should have stayed away. I shouldn’t have come! I’m sorry, please, please…just forget about this…forget about me…” 

“Luhan!” Kris tried again, dropping the supplies as he stepped after the shivering boy. 

“No! No, please…I can’t, it’ll break his heart!” Luhan was sobbing now, shaking so badly, “I promised and I…” He turned to run, knowing that he shouldn’t have followed Amber’s advice. It was a mistake to come so close to the pair, even he could smell the warmth and love between them. Who was he to even think that he could take that away or even stand a chance? 

All the words which should have been spoken were suddenly gone, evaporated from the tip of his tongue as the pink curly haired omega found himself in a warm, tight embrace. The muscled chest was matched with powerful arms and large hands that safely engulfed his tiny frame. The hold was secure, tight, protective and loving. Luhan immediately felt as though he could just fall asleep here, safe every single night with no more fears or worries because he had finally found what he wanted. His wolf cooed and rubbed up against Yifan’s larger one, feeling safe, protected and part of the family. 

The slight creak of the door to the bath house broke the spell and Luhan’s eyes opened wide in fear as he realised what he had just done. How could he be so foolish, how could he have allowed this to happen. Yixing was going to hate him. He was stealing the others alpha from right under his nose, on a truly terrible night, and it just wasn’t right or fair in the slightest. 

“Geeze,” Yixing’s soft voice, slightly muffled to Luhan’s ears because Kris had not let go, “You really think too much, you know that Luhan?” 

Peeking up at the other, as Yixing was standing unsteadily in the doorway with just the blanket the other omega had provided him with earlier, Luhan expected there to be some kind of hatred in the other’s eyes, or some kind of retribution or demand for him to let go of his lover. Instead he was greeted with a strained smile before delicate fingers prodded at Kris’s side with a whine of, “Let me in too.” 

Luhan could only blink in complete shock and confusion as Kris raised his arm to pull the other omega into his chest, thankful Yixing had wrapped himself back up in the blanket once again and smiled down at the two who were now resting exactly where they were supposed to be. Luhan still looked completely lost and confused, downright terrified even but wasn’t attempting to run away which was a good thing. Though with the warmth that was surrounding them all, Kris wasn’t surprised. Yixing smiled warmly at Luhan, running his fingers down his cheek even with the tears that were in his eyes, “There we are, right where we’re both supposed to be.” 

“What?” Luhan managed to ask softly, sounding completely unsure of this whole situation which quite frankly, Kris didn’t blame him for. 

However, a sudden rumble of thunder had him sighing and with strength that even he was surprised at, Kris leant down to hook his arms underneath both of his omega’s knees and hoist them up so that they could technically rest on his hips. Both boys immediately shrieked at that action, gripping tightly onto his neck and shoulders as the alpha carried them back into the bath house. 

“Healing, bath, food, sleep and explanations in the morning,” Kris said sternly, though his heart was beating extremely happily in his head as the door clicked closed. 

Only to be opened thirty seconds later when the alpha ducked out into the storm to gather the supplies that Luhan had brought along. Kris could only hope that it would be enough to deal with two injured omegas.


	2. Chapter 2

The rain had stopped hours ago, leaving behind only the fresh smell of a cleansed earth and Kris smiled to himself as he sipped from a large white cup. The sunrise after a stormy night was always one of the most pleasing sights to him, like the moment when the blanket would be lifted up by a loving mother to smile beautifully and say that there had been nothing to get scared of as the sun was up and everything was going to be all right. Kris paused his musing for a second, wondering how his own mother was doing before dismissing the thought from his head. He knew his mother was fine, working her way to whatever good cause she felt fit to do so at the moment, and would no doubt be calling him later that evening to check up on him. 

A chuckle bubbled to his lips as he tried to imagine what she was going to say to him when she found out that he had found two of his mates already. He was either going to be nagged to death or squealed or screamed at, or probably all three of those reactions though not necessarily in that order. Shaking his head, he sighed happily and took another long sip of the green tea he was drinking before turning to look at his two omegas. 

Both young men were still heavily out for the count, their chests raising and lowering in perfect synch with one another as they shared body heat. Until a few hours ago they had both been curled around him for warmth and comfort but when the alpha had woken up to answer a call of nature, he had returned to the pair snuggled up together in a cute pile of limbs and had not had the heart to disturb the pair since. The looked adorable slotted together, both now fully cleaned of their respective wounds and dirt that had clung to their bodies from last night. Kris had taken the better part of an hour to clean both his omegas up completely, ensuring that they were no wounds left unattended to and not a single spec of dirt was left on their perfect skin. 

With Yixing still being in heat, he had helped to relieve some of the tension in the others body, using his hand whilst Yixing was in the bath and his tongue to skilfully keep the omega’s moans down to as bare a minimum as possible. He had remained outside of the bath throughout the whole processes and whilst it had hurt like hell, since his alpha wolf was determined to scratch and claw its way out of his skin against his will, they had gotten through it and the heat spell appeared to have broken. Leastways Yixing seemed satisfied enough to not be begging him for things that he shouldn’t be right now, practically acting like a doll when he was picked up out of the bath, dried off with a towel and put into a fresh set of night clothes before being laid down on the bed roll to sleep. Yixing had wanted to help with Luhan, said it would probably be for the best but Kris had just smiled softly before using his long fingers on a few carefully placed areas with soothing strokes on key pressure points. The omega was off to the land of slumber in next to no time. 

Covering the sleeping figure with a blanket, Kris had kissed Yixing a good night before moving to find Luhan. It hadn’t taken him long, as the bath house wasn’t that big, but he had been surprised to find the other in a corner, hiding himself away and shivering like mad. A whimper had escaped his lips when the alpha had approached and Luhan had ducked his head down. Kris had been extremely confused at first, until he realised that the smaller omega was hiding himself in embarrassment from the scent that he was giving off, and it took a lot of coaxing on behalf of the alpha to get Luhan to come out. When he had eventually agreed, the poor little deer boy had looked so shaken that Kris just wrapped him into another bear hug and held on tightly. Luhan was still clearly a little unsure of this whole situation, if the fluctuations in his scent were anything to go by, but some of the anxiousness and embarrassment filtered away. There had been a high amount of blood around the crotch area of Luhan’s trousers and when Kris had finally been able to coax Luhan out of them in order to give him a bath, he had found out the reason why. 

Most male omegas physically resembled their biological gender in every normal way, even though they contained everything within them to carry a pup. But a natural birth in human form would have been next to impossible without heavy surgery, as males were not built for such a thing. There were, however, a select few male omegas who were not only born with all of the internal organs needed to carry a pup, but also the external ones as well. Luhan had a penis, which was fairly small and quite adorable in Kris’s eyes though he was not going to say that out loud; and he also had a vagina which was hidden just underneath his ball sack and the blood was coming from there. Luhan had been humiliated by the realisation and burst into tears, his hormones in a complete mess but Kris knew that this was all perfectly natural. Like human females, Luhan’s body would follow a cycle that would prepare his womb for carrying a cub but if he were not impregnated then the lining would strip away out of the natural birth canal that was present. 

The upshot was that Luhan wouldn’t get heats like other omegas, because his body was always ready to breed and be fertile. The downside would be that he would have to cope with periods every month, which was what he was currently going through now and it was clear that the football captain was not prepared for either this revelation, finding his mate which he would share with others or the huge influx of emotions that were suddenly plaguing him. Kris had not made a scene in the slightest, instead focusing on making Luhan feel safe, secure and above all else loved. The alpha gently cleaned his omega, from tip to toe, changing the water only once over and helped him to dry off. The bath house had all manner of supplies held within, so he had been able to find the absorbing pads for male omegas as well as some fresh underwear and he had helped Luhan into both before helping him into a fresh set of nightwear as well. 

“Aren’t you disgusted by me?” Luhan had asked at length, tears still trickling down his from his beautiful eyes. 

“What? No,” Kris had replied, shaking his head before using his fingers to raise Luhan’s head up to look him in the eyes. “Don’t think of yourself like that Luhan. This is natural and we’ll find a way to make it less painful and embarrassing for you. I promise.” 

Luhan had just whined a little at the comment, though from distress or pleasure Kris hadn’t been able to tell before pulling his face away to cry into his hands. Kris once again wrapped the pink haired boy up in his arms and held him there until he was all cried out and too exhausted to do anything other than fall asleep. Part of Kris’s mind wanted to move the two omegas out of the bath house and over to the heat cabins where at least they would all be able to sleep without worries of someone else walking in, but one look at the storm had been enough to tell him that doing so now would be an extremely bad idea. Instead he had set Luhan down, before having his own quick wash and change of clothes and then lay down in between the two omegas to sleep. The pair had moved as one to snuggle up to his sides, Yixing on the left and Luhan on the right and the alpha had fallen asleep almost instantly. 

Now, several hours later he was smiling down at his two precious omegas, not wanting to wake them up so that he could move them to a quieter, secluded and far more comfortable location. However, the school day would be starting soon and he knew that getting them to the designated cabins would be a good idea. 

Just as he put the cup down to begin his plan of waking the pair up, there came a knock to the bath house door and it was opened almost immediately afterwards. Kris growled on instinct, moving fast to cover his two omegas from any and all potential threats because the intruder was an alpha. With no indication of Yixing being out of heat yet, it was still a very dangerous time for both the omegas and he’d already had to cope with enough emotional trauma last night, so physical was not going to happen. 

“Whoa, dude,” Kevin sighed out heavily, “Ease up on the whole Dà huī láng (Big Bad Wolf) routine. I’ve already had enough snapping this morning to do my head in.” 

Kris immediately pulled upright in apology, but Kevin just waved his hand dismissively towards him, “Don’t panic. I’m fairly used to it.” 

“Sorry,” Kris still said, feeling bad for having nearly attacked his friend, “Guess I’m still a little strung out.” 

“Yeah, not surprised there in the slightest,” Kevin grinned wickedly, as he stepped close to take a look at the two sleeping omegas. He silently noted that the alpha hadn’t moved from his guarding position over either of them, which made any lingering worries simply disappear out of his head. “Especially with these two cuties to look after.” His nose twitched and he blinked, “Oh, Luhan’s a bleeder? Now that I did not expect.” 

Kris sent the other alpha a glare, “Don’t call him that.” 

“Understood,” Kevin replied and then glanced around, “Take it you found the emergency supplies?” 

“Yes,” Kris replied, raising an eyebrow towards Kevin, “You think I would be that much of an arsehole?” 

A snort was his answer as Kevin rose up and punched the other alpha on the shoulder, “Not a chance in hell. You couldn’t even hurt a bunny rabbit without feeling sorry for the damn thing. I know these two are in the best paws possible and I’ll be glad to not have to worry about them anymore.” 

“Why?” 

“Cause who in their right mind is going to mess with an omega of Dà huī láng? You are aware that is your official nickname around here, right?” Kevin smirked towards the other. 

Kris blinked, “I thought it was Duìzhǎng?” 

Kevin rolled his eyes again, “To you face, idiot.” 

“Oh,” Kris replied, shrugging before turning to sit down as he felt the first signs of stirring from Luhan who was groggily blinking his eyes open. Slowly the young omega raised his fist to rub gently at the sockets, looking cute and innocent with the sunlight creeping across his hair and long eyelashes whilst Yixing was still tiredly snuggled into the others chest like he was a teddy bear. “Good morning,” Kris said lightly, smiling softly towards the half awake boy and reaching out to pet his hair, “How are you feeling?” 

The sudden pause that Luhan made was almost adorable, if not for the look of terror that briefly crossed his face before he glanced around, clearly catching sight of Kevin and relaxed a little. He gulped and looked towards Kris with an unsure expression, almost as if he really did not believe that the other was kneeling in front of him right now. 

Kris smiled softly, “It’s okay, just take your time.” 

“What?” Luhan stammered out quietly. 

“Just take your time, I know this is a little on the frightening side for you,” Kris repeatedly softly but made no move towards the omega in order to comfort him. If there was one way to make Luhan distrust him more it was to touch him without his consent and Kris wanted the other to feel as though he could be who he wanted to be. Though there was an itch deep within his skin to simply reach forward and comfort and protect the other. It was far stronger than before, because Kris was frequently the type to look after any omegas who seemed to be flustered or distressed; but he knew the instinct now was a desire to love his mate and keep him as happy as could be. 

Luhan seemed to stare wordlessly at Kris for what felt like an eternity, his large doe like eyes staring straight into the dark depths of the others as if to see where the lies were. Alphas were tricky to deal with, he knew that from trying to keep control of the football team he was the captain of, but he had never had one actually look after him like the way this particular alpha had last night. Sure he had dated a couple of wolves in the last year, his heart starting to call out for his mate; his shy nature making it so that he refused to acknowledge the alpha whom he knew he wanted because he was marked with his best friends symbol. But one of the alpha’s had come across his own omega and broken up with him in a fairly gentle way, whereas the other one had been so disgusted by the discovery of the bleeding that things got fairly nasty. Until Kevin stepped in. 

But here was Kris, the mate of his best friend, who had spent the whole night with him even after discovering his disgusting secret, just patiently looking at him with a soft smile and the smell of green tea wafting around. Kris, the alpha who had tended to his mate first in every possible way without hurting Yixing to make him feel loved and cared for, had also taken care of him. Had bathed him, found him clothes and protective items, gently caressed and cuddled him until he was ready for fall asleep. Then had laid in between him and Yixing like it was the most perfectly natural thing to do. It was strange, it was surreal and for a long moment Luhan just didn’t know what to say or even how he should react in this situation. 

Especially since his omega wolf was pawing desperately for the attention of the alpha wolf in front of him, whimpering like a caged beast to be free and just able to get love and give love back. Shuddering a little, Luhan reached out towards Kris, his hand shaking with each passing second, but the alpha just smiled softly towards him. The second their skin touched, Kris preened happily with affection, nuzzling the others hand with his cheek like it was most natural thing in the world to do before pulling the surprised boy into yet another hug. This time though he was more gentle with the fragile looking boy, holding him tight enough that he wouldn’t be under any illusions of what was going on but loose enough that if it were a little too much then he’d be able to break free. 

Luhan shivered, though from which emotion it was impossible to tell and then stammered, “How? How is this…you’re Yixing’s…not mine…” 

“Ugh, have you not explained a thing to him yet, Kris?” a rather grumpy voice cut through the pairs cuteness to reveal Yixing half-awake with his hair all tousled to the side. “Honestly, such a lazy arse.” Yixing leaned against the alpha with a minor pout but not an ounce of anger, hatred or distrust towards the other omega radiating from his being. Apparently, he was more grumpy because he had woken up without his two pillows. Yixing lightly punched at Kris’s arm, barely registering the fact that he had given the alpha next to no time to speak with his constant grumbling. “Explain it to him,” 

Kris chuckled, “Are you always this fussy in the morning, baobei?” 

“No, you’re just being a slow arse and not telling our little dear anything,” Yixing whined, “I want my hug, so move.” 

“All right, all right, calm down,” Kris replied, rolling his eyes affectionately before letting go of Luhan so that Yixing could latch onto the other omega with a happy sounding sigh and snuggle in close. Luhan did not complain at the action, either because he was an omega himself (and they seemed to share power between them by the act of hugging) or he was just too confused to really reject the other. It was impossible to tell but Kris ignored the pair for a second as he pulled off his night shirt, tried not to coo at the blush that crossed Luhan’s face at seeing his bare chest fully on display before he lightly turned to expose his right arm. 

Luhan’s large eyes seemed to grow larger when he spotted his own symbol on Kris’s arm and he immediately reached out towards it, his fingers dancing over the mark as if he expected it to blur or change if he did so. It remained on the alphas skin, exactly as it was supposed to and Luhan let out a little squeak of surprise. Especially when he grabbed at the arm of his nightwear to see that the mark was indeed in the exact same place on his arm. An incoherent babble of syllables escaped from the omegas throat as he practically dragged the alpha closer to once again re-check the marks that were there and he even licked at them just to ensure that this wasn’t a trick. 

“Ew, gross,” Yixing commented, nipping Luhan in the side, “You don’t need to literally lick him like that. They’re real and they ain’t going to fade or move away.” 

“But but but…” Luhan shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, “How?” 

“Luhan, calm down,” Kris replied, pulling the pink haired boy into a one armed hug and settling him gently against his side. “Yes, the mark is real, no we did not know about it until just over a month ago, and yes we want you here with the pair of us. I know it’s a bit on the strange side but believe me, you are part of our family and nothing is ever going to change that.” 

“Family?” Luhan asked, blinking up towards the alpha who smiled, and this time cooed at the adorable omega sitting in his lap before letting out a grunt of pain when Yixing flopped against him, mumbling incoherently. Kris rolled his eyes and allowed Yixing to settle, before turning his attention back towards Luhan and gently placed a kiss on top of his head. “Yes, you are one of my omegas and I know it’s a sudden and very big change to have landed on you but I promise that I’ll care for you, love you and treat you with the respect that you deserve.” 

Luhan looked up shyly through his eyelashes at the other, “You really mean that?” 

Kris nodded in response, “Of course I do. Me and Yixing have been meaning to catch you for the past month to talk things over with you but it just never really happened. I’m sorry I left you so alone like that.” 

“It was my fault,” Luhan replied, shaking his head, “I was terrified that I was stealing you away and Yixing deserves a strong alpha like you and just…” 

“Shush,” Yixing complained, swatting at Luhan lightly with a grin on his face, “Talk after breakfast.” 

A sudden jab was delivered to Kris’s stomach, a look of coy demand on the others face, “Go and fetch us breakfast.” 

Kris pouted down towards the omega, “And just when did you turn into a demanding brat?” 

Luhan giggled, “He’s always like this after a heat.” 

“Oh? Really?” 

“Breakfast, Kris!” Yixing whined, now nipping at the alphas side, “Unless you want me to do something really embarrassing to you.” 

Kris was about to teasingly question just what that was when Kevin made a grab for the younger alpha and hauled him up, “Come on, best do what the bratty omega says otherwise you’ll end up in a hell of a lot of trouble. You two can head to cabin six,” a set of keys was handed to Luhan, “I put some supplies in there for you but if you need anything more, you’ll have to wait till classes start to go and collect them. I’ve put you on heat leave for the next few days so homework and the likes will be delivered to you there.” 

Kris made a slight sound of protest as he was dragged off, still half attempting to pull his shirt on before he got out into the rather breezy morning and the two omegas watched him go with matching smiles of mischief and adoration. Yixing giggled as he stood up, seemingly not too disturbed from the events of last night and offered his hand towards Luhan, “Come on, the beds in the cabins are a lot more comfy and I could do with an extra half hour of sleep.” 

Taking the hand, Luhan stood up and glanced around, picking up a few things, “Are you really sure about this Yixing? I mean…all of us and…” 

In answer, Luhan found himself being kissed by Yixing which made the omega drop the items that he was holding. Yixing pulled back with a smile on his face, “Luhan, I couldn’t be happier to have you as a pack-mate and a fellow omega. We’re going to have to put up with quite a lot in the future so it’s great to know I’ve already got a friend.” 

“A lot?” Luhan asked carefully, having bent down to pick up the items once again. “A lot of what?” 

Yixing groaned, “I’ll explain in the cabin, as it’s a little on the complicated side.” 

“Okay,” Luhan replied, feeling just a little out of sorts but happy to follow along for now as he did want to get out of the bath house and to somewhere a little warmer. Plus, his stomach let out a well timed rumble which had him blushing once again, “Though could it wait until after breakfast?” 

A nod was his reply, “Yeah, food will help this info go down a whole lot easier. I just hope that Kris remembers to bring extra pancakes otherwise he’ll moan all day about not getting to eat them.” 

Breakfast nearly turned into lunch by the time that Kris was actually able to get away from everything that had suddenly decided to plague him the very second, he had stepped into the dining hall with Kevin in tow. In fact, the alpha was pretty sure that the only reason why things had remained reasonably civil was for the simple reason that Kevin was there as back up, with a firm reminder of the rules and regulations of the school. It still didn’t stop several arses trying to have a go at him for stealing away the two omegas and Deng Yi was clearly not impressed with the situation either in the slightest. 

In his defence, Kris had not responded to the challenges presented by the other alphas and had only just growled a low warning when one of them managed to get past Kevin to scratch at his face like he were some insignificant monster who had taken away the favoured play toys of the big boys on campus. It didn’t stop the Headmaster from calling all those involved to his office, where they all received a firm scolding and a series of detentions that did not sound pleasant in the slightest. Hangen was not one to be blinded by whining or senseless nonsense however and once he dismissed the disgruntled alphas away, he called Kris back to him. 

A playful smirk crossed his lips, “You did very well to maintain your temper, pup.” 

“Sir,” Kris replied, not daring to say what was actually on his mind as he was pretty sure that it would only lead to yet more problems and he was already getting rather angsty about the length of time he had been away from his omegas. 

Hangen chuckled, “I would have personally ripped them a new one apiece for even daring to breath a word against my omega, and then tried to take on the alpha who tried to punish me for doing so.” 

Kris was slightly taken aback by the comment but maintained his composure, “But then you would have expelled me and that would leave my two mates in a very dangerous situation. I will protect them always, but I can’t do that if I’m expelled from the school.” 

“Good, you think with your head and not with your alpha pride which is undoubtedly very insulted by those idiots,” Hangen nodded his approval. “It is good to see that some of the lessons I teach are actually adhered to by you youngsters.” 

This time Kris allowed himself a smirk, “It’s not your reaction I fear the most, sir, my own mother beat it into me that I was to always take care of my mates, no matter who tried to provoke me because they are the most precious people that I shall ever know in my life.” 

A long hum was the headmaster’s response. Everyone knew that Kris’s mother was rather strict in the way that she brought up her son, instilling a lot of rules and regulations onto him from a young age about how he should behave with omegas, how to treat them well and what she expected of him to do when he found his mates. Some had said it was wrong, that Kris would turn out weak because of it but his mother had just struck out at them and presented her son as the most honourable alpha that had ever walked the face of the earth. 

Hangen did not know what had happened to the boy’s father, Kris never mentioned him in the slightest and the one time his mother had been asked, she had stated that he was a lone rouge who had taken advantage of a situation before leaving. It was a lie, the broken look in the woman’s eyes spoke volumes but she had merely gazed up at her son, the mere child of twelve had already been taller than her at that point, and her resolve had been set back in place. 

“It is good you think that way, most of these idiots wouldn’t even follow that notion in the slightest,” Hangen replied. He gently shook his head, “Disregard the punishments I laid out for you, that was merely to keep the others out of your way. But I expect you to take the greatest care of your two omegas and ensure that they get to graduation with the most beaming smiles on their faces.” 

Kris nodded, “That was my plan. I was actually going to get them breakfast before all of this kicked off.” 

“Ah yes,” Hangen commented, glancing at the clock, “I’m afraid that you’ll probably find that the kitchens are stripped bare right now. I did not think of that.” 

“Good thing you’ve got me around ain’t it?” Amber said, appearing with a grin on her face as she walked in, giving Kris a very hard punch on his arm. “There’s two full trays already waiting and I’ve sent someone across to the cabins with clothing and some personal effects from the dorms. Cause the only free den at the moment hasn’t been properly used this year, so I’ll need to clear it out properly. But it’ll be ready to go tomorrow afternoon.” 

Staring at the head omega, Kris could only bow his deepest possible bow towards her because he felt so blessed right now. Amber grinned as she smacked him on the back of the head, “Keep up the good work, Kris, and don’t go breaking any hearts on my watch else you’ll get so heavily kicked up the arse that you won’t know how to sit down for a month.” 

“Thank you Amber,” Kris said, once again bowing to the omega before bowing to the Headmaster and hurrying out of the door with a final bow as he was certain that it was the proper custom. He faintly heard the sounds of laughter coming from the room that he had just exited but did not worry about it too much. Plus, his own stomach was rumbling in a very high pitched noise, so he dreaded to think what state his two omegas were in. He just hoped that they weren’t trying to eat each other or had stepped out of the cabin to go and find their own food. That would just be the worst. 

Thankfully when he arrived at the cabin, ten minutes later with two trays filled to overflowing with food and drink, he discovered that both omegas were contently wrapped up in each other’s arms once again, watching some silly animated show on the television. 

Yixing leaned his head back over the sofa and grinned at the alpha as he set the food down, “Who stole you away?” 

“The Headmaster, along with six other dimwits who were trying to….Lu!” Kris caught hold of the omega who had hopped up immediately upon realising that there was food available and was attempting to open the covers on the hot dishes with his bare fingers. “That’s hot.” 

Luhan blinked and stared at him, “I know, but I’m hungry!” 

“You’re going to hurt yourself if you’re not careful,” Kris said, catching the omegas hands, “I can’t be having that.” 

The omega blinked and whined, “I think I can open some hot dishes without hurting myself, Kris. Plus, I’m hungry and you’re taking too long with everything.” 

A sigh escaped from Kris’s lips, “I know you’re hungry but I’m not going to allow you to become hurt just because you’re not paying attention. Sit down and I’ll dish up all you want in a minute.” 

Yixing laughed as he moved around the table, pulling out a chair and stealing a morsel of food, just so he could hear his alpha doing a funny little whine towards him too, “Get used to this level of babying, Lulu, Kris won’t let you do anything until he’s one hundred per cent sure that you’re okay and not at risk.” 

Luhan blinked as he sat down, “Really?” 

“Yup, overprotective doesn’t even cover it,” Yixing grinned happily, trying to steal another piece of food but instead found a pair of chopsticks nipping at the ends of his fingers. Yixing pouted and huffed onto one of his hands, “See. So fussy.” 

Luhan blinked, “Right…is he like this all the time?” 

“Thankfully no,” Yixing replied, a very fond smile on his face, “He’s only like this whenever I’m hurt, too tired to do anything or sick…actually he’s like ten times worse when I’m sick so watch out for that.” 

“Oh great,” Luhan groaned, “You are going to be such a pain around my icky monthlies then.” 

“Speaking of…” 

“FOOD!” both omegas yelled together at the same time, looking a mixture between done with the conversation and elated to be getting such special attention off their alpha at the same time. Kris wasn’t one hundred per cent sure how that actually worked out in the slightest, but he found he didn’t really care. Especially when he saw the frowns melt away as they all managed to eat the huge amount of food which had been supplied to them and converse between themselves. 

Luhan was still a little unsure of the situation, but that was to be expected since the mated pair had only really just sprung it on him this morning that he was also part of their large family but thankfully he wasn’t freaking out too much about it. However, Kris put it down to the fact that Luhan’s omega was preening under so much affection that both he and Yixing were showering on him at that moment that it was easier to sort out. 

Clearly the omegas had talked and whilst Luhan hadn’t commented on the fact that there would be others for them to meet and share Kris with, it was clear that it was something he was curious about. In fact, Kris was also curious about it because whilst he knew that he would have eleven mates, he had never really envisaged how that would look and how they would even manage. Finding his first mate had been an amazing thrill, and now that he also had Luhan along with him he found that his heart was fluttering in excitement. He paused for a fraction of a second, chopsticks just slightly raised up to his mouth as he tried to think what it would be like with all his mates around the same table. 

Chaos was the first adjective that arrived in his mind, but he could also feel a glowing warmth of love, family and friendship which made him almost yearn to have all his mates right there, right at this second. 

Until Yixing flicked a pea at his head for not paying attention, and Luhan ended up choking on the milk that he was drinking. 

Yeah, everyone else could wait, Kris reflected to himself as he moved to help Luhan and make sure that he wasn’t going to die on him, as dealing with these two alone was going to be a handful, let alone adding in nine others. Part of him was still looking very much forward to the day when they were all together but for now, he was more than happy with the situation that they were in and he planned to keep it that way.


	3. Chapter 3

The student accommodation building had been an uttermost nightmare to find, even with the number of students who were milling around to get their keys and yearly passes and by the time that the trio of alpha and two omegas had gotten to the front of the line it would have probably been easier to just get their own flat. But annoyingly all first years had to stay on campus before being allowed to obtain rental properties around the university. Kris was tired, sweaty as it was a boiling hot day and they had been dragging their luggage around since they had gotten off the bus early this morning. He cursed the very idea of all those documentaries and presentation videos that made the moving process look so straight forward and easy because he was so done with this whole situation. A glance towards his two omegas also confirmed that they were so done with this shitty day to and on instinct he took the opportunity to pull them both into a quick separate hug. 

“I just want to get in, dump stuff and sleep!” Luhan whined, already having been in a grumpy mood since yesterday evening due to his cycle coming around and now his temper was really getting the better of him. “What’s taking so long?” 

“Allocations I think,” Yixing replied, sounding calm but clearly just as frazzled as his two companions because he was looking through the admissions book once again. “You did bring the letter, right? It’s going to save so much troubles.” 

Patting his pocket for the millionth time that day alone, Kris confirmed that yes indeed he still had the letter which would basically ensure that he got to stay with his two mates. The accommodations office was used to receiving requests for mated couples to stay together but it had been a long time since they had found an alpha with two omegas and the rules were complicated. Thankfully because Hangen was such a good headmaster he had stepped in and spoken directly to the university and provided a letter which would ensure that they had no problems. Once they got to the admissions desk of course. 

Ten minutes later the group of squealing beta girls finally got their stuff sorted and disappeared off in a cloud of too many squeals and the trio were able to move forward. Kris didn’t even bother giving his name, instead handing over the letter to the very annoyed looking woman behind the desk. “We should have a place for three of us, one alpha, mated to these two omegas.” 

The woman blinked and glanced at the letter, “Oh, yes, we were told about you in advance. Here you go, you’re in block D, floor 15 at the very top with…” 

“Whoa…wait what?” Kris asked, just at the same time that Yixing shot up with, “No way, we requested ground floor accommodation” whilst Luhan just managed to look a little on the pale side. 

Yixing was quick to move towards his fellow omega, wrapping him in a hug, “It’s okay, we’ll sort it out.” 

Luhan shook his head, taking a deep breath, “I…I can be fine…” 

“No, no, no,” Yixing replied softly, running his fingers through the others hair, “It’s just a mix up. We’ll get it sorted out.” 

Kris smiled happily to himself before turning back to the rather annoyed looking woman, “We specifically requested a room on the ground floor.” 

The woman blinked and typed hurriedly on the keyboard in front of her. “I don’t see this request anywhere on the application form.” She stated matter of factly. 

Taking a deep breath, Kris reminded himself to stay just a little bit on the calm side, “Luhan has acrophobia, which means heights are a no go for us.” 

The woman blinked again and then picked up the phone which had just rang through. She spoke hurriedly and the alpha did genuinely try to keep himself from swatting at her, but she then turned her attention back to him with a genuine smile. “Sorry, I’ve just been flagged by another of my colleges for that room. You and the occupant have very similar names and situations so hence the mix up. You’re in Block B, ground floor, suite 10. Here are your keys, entry cards, meal cards and lanyards.” 

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kris took the information, vaguely wondering who the other person was with a similar name and situation before thanking the woman and heading over to the two omegas who had moved to a bench. “Simple mix up, we’re on the ground floor in Block B…ugh!” Kris gently wrapped an arm around Luhan as he passed Yixing the documents, “So we’re all good to go.” 

“I’m sorry for causing so many troubles!” Luhan hiccupped, not sounding the least bit happy with this situation or himself but thankfully both his alpha and fellow omega were completely used to it by now. Thankfully now that Luhan was in university, he would be able to get on a birth control regime much more easier which would be a blessing. Whilst the monthlies weren’t that much of a problem for either Kris or Yixing, they were starting to mess with Luhan’s schooling, and he really needed to concentrate. 

Yixing just petted Luhan, “It’s fine, come on, let’s get into the building, get sorted and then we can crash with Disney movies and ice cream.” 

“That’s your solution for everything,” Kris commented in jest as he picked up his bag and grabbed hold of two suitcases, as he was only allowing each omega to carry one apiece. Even then they had to be fairly small and not overly heavy. Luhan had virtually kicked him in the back to get him to stop being so protective and loving, especially when it came to his backpack and Yixing had been forced to pin his alpha to the ground to get him to stop fussing. Neither omega really complained overly much as Kris really was only looking out for their best interests but there were more than enough times when they called him an overprotective jerk. 

Thankfully Block B was not too far away and there were already a few people moving in who had managed to get the doors successfully wedged open so getting in was even better. Suite 10 was a little further down the corridor than any of them would want to walk when they had sampled a few of the local beverages but it was perfectly fine once they got in. The flat was a standard student affair, with a shared kitchen, living room and small little patio space which held a few attempts at flowers and was promptly claimed by Yixing for his morning Yoga exercises. Unsurprisingly the room closest to the patio went to him, whilst Luhan took the one on the end and Kris’s opted for the one nearest the door. Even though they were mated and shared the same living space, they had learnt very quickly that sharing the same room had not always been the best idea so had kept to their own ever since. A few of their friends found it strange, since most of the time the two omegas would end up on Kris’s bed to sleep with him but occasionally the trio would sleep separately, or Kris would only sleep with one of the omegas in their own bedroom. Or they’d just pile into another bedroom. It really depended on what happened on the night in question, but it was one of those oddities that just sort of worked out for them. 

Plus, with the knowledge of the other nine that were yet to arrive in their lives, getting too used to only sleeping one way was not a good idea. Especially as getting a bed which could hold twelve people was probably going to be an horrendous expense to even start thinking about. 

“Hey, we’ve got two other rooms in here,” Luhan said a little later, having taken some time out to unpack some of his things and shower, changing from his sweaty clothes into a simple pair of shorts and a t-shirt which belonged to Kris and had been claimed by Luhan a while ago. “Do you think we’ll have room-mates?”   
“That’ll be interesting if we do,” Kris said, also having changed but he hadn’t unpacked as of yet as he was going through the piles of paperwork, “I hope they’ve open minded.” 

“It’s university, most people at least experiment during this time,” Yixing replied, already in his pyjamas which consisted of shorts and a vest top. “I just hope we don’t get stuck with two rowdy alphas. That would be the worst.” 

Luhan nodded, before glancing towards their own alpha and rolling his eyes. Kris was being dutiful in getting the paperwork done for the room, despite the fact that it didn’t need to be done for another week and it was clear that he would be at it all night if they didn’t stop him now and get him to relax. Turning to his fellow pack-mate, Luhan raised his eyebrows up towards Yixing and silently tilted his head towards the alpha. 

Yixing grinned back and nodded, stepping closer to the unsuspecting alpha. Kris continued studying the paperwork, his attention so distracted that he did not notice his two omegas creeping up on him. Not until both of them latched their arms around his waist and started to kiss at his neck and collarbones at the exact same time. “Fucking hell!” he called out, caught completely off guard for a few seconds before letting out a moan as eager hands began to wander around his torso. “Guys…seriously…” 

“Leave the paperwork, Kris,” Luhan whined, licking over a mark that he had just made. 

“Yup, leave it alone. You can play with it later,” Yixing said seductively as he moved his lips to capture the others, “Play with us instead.” 

Opening his mouth to try and resist the temptation, Kris suddenly realised that he didn’t need to worry about the school regulations anymore. They were in university, in the city and if they wanted to ‘play’ around with one another then they were free to do so. It was an interesting thought and the alpha wasn’t about to let it go unanswered for once. Instead of worrying and causing a fuss, he hauled Luhan up by his chin and pressed a needful, hungry and dominating kiss onto his lips, satisfyingly humming when the omega opened up to him in an instant and let their tongues dance together. The alpha’s spare hand roamed straight down Yixing’s toned chest before sliding naturally around to cup and squeeze at the others firm, round buttocks whilst Yixing took the option to grind against Kris’s thigh. 

There was a click and the door to the flat opened suddenly, bringing an abrupt halt to proceedings and the trio looked up in shock and embarrassment at having been caught. Two figures stood in the doorway, one looking rather adorable like a puppy with a devilish smirk on his features whilst the other looked like an angry bazoi with an expression which suggested that he was not happy to find an alpha making out with two omegas in his dorm room communal space. 

Thankfully the beagle looking boy just grinned and stepped into the room with a smile, “Morning,” he greeted with a little too much enthusiasm. “I’m Chen, it’s Xiumin and we’re be betas! Nice to greet you!” 

A side glance was sent his way by Xiumin, but he simply rolled his eyes, “He’s sucks at Chinese.” 

“I do not,” Chen immediately snapped towards the other, speaking in a different language. 

“Yes, you do,” Xiumin said, shaking his head. 

“I understood you then, pabo,” Chen folded his arms across his chest. 

“Only because I’ve repeated that statement to you like fifty times,” Xiumin said, pushing past the other. “Sorry, we’ll be the most annoying roommates ever probably.”   
“It’s fine,” Kris replied, “you’re both Korean?” 

Xiumin nodded, “Yup.” 

“I can translate for my two,” Kris replied in Korean and smiled towards the newcomers, “I’m Kris, this is Yixing and this is Luhan. They’re both my omegas and both my mates.” 

“Yeah we got the heads up,” Xiumin replied with a grin, glaring at his friend who was randomly poking at Luhan’s pink hair. “Chen, stop being weird.” 

“I’m not being weird!” Chen replied, “He’s got hair like candyfloss! It’s cute.”

“Uh-oh,” Yixing went, having only understood one word out of all the babble that Chen came out with. 

Kris groaned, “Erm, Lu…” 

The omega in question glared directly at Chen, with his hands folded over his chest and a look that could kill if such a thing was possible. “Tell him he gets let off this once, if he ever does it again, I’m going to kick him in the balls so hard…” 

“I think he got the general idea without having to translate,” Xiumin called from the spare room he had claimed, “Don’t call him cute, message received and understood.” 

Chen grinned, “No problems, little omega, I won’t call you cute ever again!” 

Luhan glared, “Good.” 

“But I’ll call you pretty,” Chen immediately continued, this time in Korean, “and adorable and squishy and all the other names because you can’t understand me right…ah!” 

Kris let Luhan go, chuckling at the misfortune of the beta who had made a very bad presumption and was not getting his butt firmly kicked. Yixing shook his head as he snuggled down onto Kris, “Well, I think this year is going to be interesting.” 

“Ha, you deserved that you twit!” Xiumin said as he appeared and began cheering Luhan’s beating of his best friend. “Warned you not to be a troll right from the word go, didn’t I?” 

Kris smiled as Chen continued to complain about the treatment he was receiving and remained content. Sure, his playtime had been interrupted but there would be plenty of other opportunities. Plus having two betas around was certainly going to ease his nerves a little bit so he was happily content with this little situation. 

Though two months later, he found himself rethinking that thought. 

There was nothing wrong with having two betas living with them, in fact they were both very fun people to be around and they were happy with their roles in society. Xiumin took a shine to both Yixing and Luhan, reminding them daily to eat well, drink more and just generally be a good, organised friend who fussed over the pair like a mother but in a good way. He was gentle and patient with everyone, except Chen whom he constantly called a troll and kicked whenever he got too annoyed at him which was every single day without fail. Xiumin however was also enamoured with Kris and liked to play fight with him, taking to just randomly attacking the alpha whenever the chance presented itself and in all honestly Kris found it fun. 

Xiumin was by no means a push over, he had guns to make the alpha think twice about going soft and it translated well over into their wolf forms as they could play as roughly as they liked without fearing hurting one another or bruising too many egos. Plus, Xiumin turned out to be an awesome basketball player and would merrily go one on one with the alpha too. He even got Luhan and Yixing involved in a game after being able to teach them the basics and Chen joined in mainly to fool around but mostly because he was a quick little bugger who could surprise everyone with sharp turns and speed that beguiled his form. 

The problem with Xiumin, was that other than the times that he played with Kris or the others, he didn’t really seem to do anything else. He attended class, did his homework presumably in the library and when asked about anything to do with studying would either change the subject or else dismiss it as being nothing important. A couple of times Kris had tried to talk to the beta about it but had been politely brushed off, being told that everything was perfectly fine and that he didn’t need to worry about anything. 

Chen had not been happy with that comment as he happened to overhear it and had dragged his best friend away to someplace on the opposite side of campus where rumours had it they had shared a full on screaming row with one another before separating and not speaking to one another for a week. This had made life in the flat particularly hard for a while until Yixing had stepped in, managed to trap the pair together and force them to talk things out. 

The first that both Kris and Luhan had known about it was when they had returned from a movie date, with an order of food that could have fed ten people let alone the five it was meant to serve, to find that Xiumin and Chen were once again back to their normal selves and everything just continued on from there. 

Chen on the other hand was a loveable, if annoying troll, who constantly teased, picked on and generally annoyed everyone with his weird habits, outrageous laugh and constantly shifting opinion that was all just an act to make everyone smile and be happy. He loved to wind people up, play daft pranks on them and just generally be a nuisance but there was also a very soft, caring side to him that managed to make everyone fall for him in some form or other. He was the friend who would turn up at your door at three am with a big bucket of ice cream because he had read on a social media status that you were up and stressing out or else would come and make stupid lame jokes at you if you were feeling depressed for hours without being asked. 

So, whilst his playful nature got on everyone’s nerves, it also helped everyone to love him to pieces even if it came to a blows more often than not. Chen just managed to slot his crazy, lovable self into their lives without so much as apparently blinking or thinking about what he was doing, and he was just there. Whenever and wherever you needed him, 

Which consequently lead to the problem of Chen. Whilst he was a lovable and caring clown, there was something so secretive about him that it was impossible to know what was really going on in his head. He never talked about his past, not about his parents or siblings and if something accidentally came up in his ramblings, it would be shoved straight away and was not to be asked about again. Luhan learnt this the hard way when he enquired about a statement Chen made in regard to where he had grown up and wouldn’t let it go until the troll had shouted at him and ran away. Only to return three hours later with ice cream as an apology. 

Kris had tried to do some research, just to make sure that everything was okay with his friend, but this had only led to more questions than answers a polite but firm request from Chen for the alpha to back off and leave everything alone. It had not been an easy thing to do in the slightest and Kris still believed that there was something that needed to be fixed but for the time being the only thing that he could do was to respect his friend’s wish’s. Though he wished it wasn’t so hard to do as there was a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he had to do something for the beta. 

Why he couldn’t say but Yixing had just sighed at him when he had confided in the omega one night whilst in bed. “Maybe there’s something more to all of this, but if we push too far, we’re going to push them away and I don’t want to lose either of them.” 

“I agree with that,” Kris replied, gently running his fingers through Yixing’s hair and down his ear, smiling as he watched the other preen under the careful attention. “I just worry that whatever they’re hiding is going to cause problems for all of us.” 

“Hmm, maybe but we can deal with that later,” Yixing purred, pressing his body closer as Kris continued on with his ministrations against his ear. “Right now, you smell divine and it makes me want to do extremely naughty things to you.” 

An eyebrow was cheekily raised in his direction, “Don’t you have class tomorrow?” 

“Nope,” Yixing replied, husking his voice slightly, “Not at all.” 

“Oh well,” Kris replied, shifting his position so that he was hovering over Yixing, “How about I do naughty things to you then?” 

Yixing bit his lip and latched his hands onto the others toned chest, “Only if I can do them back to you?” 

Instead of responding, Kris just crashed his lips with Yixing’s and very soon the flat was filled with moans of pleasure. From the other room, Luhan rolled his eyes and pulled on his noise cancelling headphones before selecting his current favourite music selection, then returned to his homework without feeling an ounce of jealously. His mind simply reminded him of the previous weekend when Luhan had Kris all to himself with no distractions as everyone else in the flat had been away. That had been a mind blowing experience, so it was perfectly fine for Yixing to get their alpha’s attention. Plus, strangely, Luhan had come to learn that he didn’t have a jealous bone in his body when it came to Yixing and Kris being together. They both shared the alphas attention and were open and honest with one another, so it all worked out fine. 

In the other room however, Chen was startled awake by the noises that the alpha and omega were making, and he let out a whimper of pain and fear. Wrapping the blanket around himself tightly, the beta made his way quietly out of his room and down the corridor to where he was only just a little surprised to see the door to Xiumin’s room already open. Slipping in, the boy shivered as the door closed behind him, only allowing a little of the noise to be removed. 

Xiumin looked up from where he had been plumping up the pillows and with a sad expression offered his arms towards the other. Chen took the presented opportunity without so much as a question, snuggling up to the other as tightly as he could whilst trying desperately to keep his wailing down to a minimum. Gently rocking the other, Xiumin placed a kiss on the crown of his head, “It’ll be okay, Chen, I promise you. Everything will be okay.” 

Chen hiccupped back a cry and shook his head, “No, it really won’t.” 

“Chen,” Xiumin tried softly, trying to keep the other as close as possible. 

“No, it won’t be okay Xiumin,” Chen managed to stutter out, “You know exactly the reason why it won’t be okay. It’ll never be okay. Because it can’t be, because our lives are not fair, and we’ve got no choice in the matter.” 

Letting out a sigh, Xiumin thought about just letting the conversation drop and allowing the shivering boy in his arms to cry himself to sleep as he typically did on nights like this but found that for once he didn’t want to. He wanted Chen to talk, to get all that was on his chest off of it because he knew that if his best friend continued to wallow in this level of sadness then nothing would ever get resolved and it would just make parting at the end of the semester even harder. Taking a deep breath, he glanced around the dark room and spotted his smart speaker. “Alexa, play sleep music,” he said softly, smiling slightly when the familiar rustle of grasses was shortly followed by the calming whistle of Koya. It probably wasn’t the best music to be playing to get Chen to talk but for now it would have to do. 

Chen sighed and pouted, “Don’t make me say anything, please Xiumin.” 

“You need to,” Xiumin said, “We both need to.” 

Huffing again, Chen snuggled closer to his friend, running his fingers over his chest with the softest movements for a few seconds. The pout on his lips was adorable and Xiumin couldn’t help but smile, “You like him, don’t you?” 

A blush crossed the others face, before he slowly nodded, “Yes…I like him. I like him so much. But he won’t have eyes for anyone like us.” 

“He’s already got two omegas,” Xiumin stated softly.

“And that’s exactly why he’ll never have eyes for us,” Chen stated, looking down towards his fingers rather than at Xiumin’s face. “He’s already got enough on his plate to deal with. I fucking love both Luhan and Yixing, I don’t need them to be worrying about me or for me to be hurting them. I couldn’t’ live with myself for that.” 

“I know what you mean,” Xiumin replied, gently carding his fingers through the others hair. “I don’t want to put them in that situation either.” 

“How can you be so calm?” Chen replied, shuddering a little as the headboard started banging in the opposite room, despite the fact that the music was turned up several more levels. “The pheromones are making my head spin.” 

Shrugging his shoulders slightly, Xiumin shook his head, “They don’t really affect me.” 

“Really?” Chen asked, a frown crossing his face, “Are you sure that about?” 

“One hundred per cent,” Xiumin replied, shrugging once again, “They’ve never affected me now that I think about it.” 

Opening his mouth to say something more, Chen instead found himself yawning and let out a long sigh before snuggling closer to his friend. There were still many things on his chest that he should really speak up about, but he was just too tired to really care about it. Plus, he knew that if he stayed away much longer then he wouldn’t be able to keep up his normal front of being a playful beta who liked to annoy everyone to death. It was better if none of his friends learnt the truth of his situation or Xiumin’s and being a cry baby wasn’t going to help that situation no matter what he said. 

The pair curled up and snuggled together, able to ignore the sounds of passion that were still coming from the opposite room and drifting off to sleep together. 

It was the alarm that woke the pair up, at five in the morning and both groaned before heading to the shower room to start the day. Neither one cared that they were sharing such an intimate space, they had practically done so since they were kids and they both knew one another’s bodies, so it was nothing new in the slightest. 

Though Chen smirked when he got to the kitchen, seeing that Yixing was half keeled over the table with only the blanket wrapped around his body to give him some sense of decency, whimpering slightly whilst Kris was attempting to make a special sweet tea to ease his omega’s pain and suffering but was clearly getting distracted by a playfully flirty Luhan. “Not surprised that you’re in pain with the noise you were making last night, Xing,” Chen jibbed towards the omega on the table, “Thought you were going to go through the wall.” 

Raising his head ever so slightly, Yixing’s face was as red as a tomato, “What?” 

Luhan turned to look at his fellow pack-mate and grinned, “Oh, you forgot that we live with two others? One who is an insufferable troll?” 

Yixing groaned and hid his face in his hand, “I thought they were out.” 

“Oh no, sweet cheeks,” Chen replied, “I heard pretty much everything last night.” 

“Oh god, please just stop right now,” Yixing mumbled from his rather odd position but with a tone that suggested he was already resigned to the endless amount of teasing that he was going to receive for his own stupid antics last night. 

However, before any of that could happen, there came a sudden noise of a glass bottle rolling out of the cupboard and bouncing off the countertop. Along with Kris cursing as he grabbed hold of it, “Oppse.” 

“Oh honestly,” Luhan chided, shaking his head, “Clumsy benben strikes again.” 

“I didn’t do this on purpose,” Kris replied, rolling his eyes before he curiously examined the bottle to see what it was, primarily to make sure that it went back into its proper place. “Besides, it’s not like we have that much medication in here anyway.” 

“Medication?” Luhan asked, turning his head towards his alpha, despite the fact that he was already clinging off him like a limpet. “What are you on about?” 

However, Kris did not respond, he seemed to have frozen in place as he stared at the brown bottle. He ignored everything around him for a full minute. He ignored Luhan pawing at his arm for attention, he ignored Chen playfully poking Yixing in the side much to the others charging and he ignored Xiumin entering the kitchen to get his standard morning coffee before classes. 

He didn’t ignore the sudden gasp of fear that came from the elder or the fact that Xiumin had suddenly barged straight in between himself and Luhan to snatch the bottle away from his fingertips with force that caused the alpha to bash his hand off the still open doorway. Kris turned sharply, a mixture of emotions flaring off his being but before he could even say a word, a fist landed in his face and he found himself on the floor with blood spurting from his nose. 

There was a clamour of chairs and cries of alarm before the door to the flat slammed shut with a resounding bang. 

“What the actual hell?” Luhan yelled, kneeling down next to Kris to check that he was fine as the alpha tried to sit upright before automatically moving to assist Yixing who had also moved down to the floor to take a look at the other. 

“Get the first aid kit,” Yixing said softly, looking a mixture between panicked but focused and once Luhan returned he set to work on sorting out the nosebleed that Kris had. The punch hadn’t broken anything thankfully but had been hard enough to rupture some of the blood vessels in his nose. 

“Ow,” Kris said after a few moments of silence, letting Yixing work. 

“That’s going to bruise nastily,” Yixing said, shaking his head and catching hold of Luhan’s hand, “Don’t.” 

“He hurt my alpha!” Luhan seethed, “I should hurt him back.” 

“Luhan, don’t,” Kris said, shaking his head to try and get rid of the dizziness that was plaguing him, “It’s not worth it.” 

Luhan huffed, “No one has the right to hurt you, not even me or Yixing! I just want to punch him back on the nose! Nothing else!” 

“Lulu,” Yixing cooed gently, “We all need to calm down. Whatever happened was clearly big and going around hitting people is not the…” 

“Fuck! Yixing!” Luhan suddenly screamed, forgetting his alpha for a few seconds as he spotted more blood on the floor. “You’re bleeding! Shower now!” 

Yixing had blinked, not knowing what to do until he was scooped up into the arms of his loving alpha and taken to the bathroom where very carefully, he was cleaned and checked over. Thankfully the blood was nothing too bad, just a bit too much overenthusiasm from Kris which Luhan used as a good enough excuse to kick the alpha around the room. Finally, an hour later, Yixing was dressed and snuggled up to Kris adorably with a blanket wrapped around him and a hot cup of tea, courtesy of his pack-mate who pressed a kiss to Yixing’s head. “You take care of yourself, okay?” Luhan said, sounding every bit as motherly as he could do, “And no more funny business either.” 

Yixing rolled his eyes, “Trust me, not going to happen.” 

Luhan jabbed Kris in the side, “That goes for you too.” 

“Understood,” Kris said, though his words were slightly slurred after having taken some pain medication. 

Nodding at the pair, Luhan stole a quick kiss from his alpha and set off for his classes. He kept a wary eye out for either Xiumin or Chen but came up with nothing. Though he figured after that huge mess this morning, they’d probably not see any sight of either one of the two betas until at least the evening. Hopefully they would turn up with food as an apology and everything would be forgotten. 

However, as Luhan returned to the flat, he discovered that there had been no sign of return of either Xiumin or Chen. Kris was passed out on the sofa, the pain meds really affecting him and Yixing was sitting in the kitchen, a small brown bottle in his fingers and a pained expression on his face. “What?” Luhan asked, not sure if he could be worried or not. 

Instead of answering, Yixing just handed the bottle to Luhan. His expression radiated sadness and he sighed softly as the other dropped the bottle in shock. “No wonder they both freaked out.” 

“Suppressants?” Luhan hissed, shaking his head before picking up the bottle once again to study the label more closely, “Shit, these things are practically illegal.” 

“My concern is why would either one of them be that desperate to hide their status?” Yixing replied, blinking heavily. “They both seemed so carefree and full of life.” 

Placing the bottle down carefully, Luhan sighed as he shook his head, a twisting feeling in his stomach. “I’ve no idea, but it must be something big. I mean…for them to hurt Kris…” 

Shaking his head, Yixing could only sigh, “Let’s just home that they return home tonight and then we can talk it over like adults.” 

Luhan nodded but the feeling didn’t leave his stomach in the slightest. The pair spent the rest of the evening quietly, doing their homework, making a light supper and generally cooing over Kris who was being freaking adorable in his groggy stage. 

Neither Xiumin or Chen returned that evening, or the next one. In fact, they never returned to the flat. Their stuff was collected one day when the trio were out, and it was almost as if the pair had never existed. No calls, or text messages were answered and all attempts of communication through social media just came back as blocked. A week after the pair had disappeared, Kris pulled his two omegas to his chest on their shared couch and held the pair close, “We’ll find them, I know we will.” 

His right hand arm was pulled out into the open, where faintly two additional marks had appeared. One looking like a scorpion and the other like an intricate snowflake. “And when we do find them,” Kris said softly to his two omegas, “They’ll never have to take those vile things ever again.”


	4. Chapter 4

Summer was just around the corner and Kris could not wait to be done with classes. The last few months had been hellish put mildly, with a mixture of final assignments, exams and just a general feeling of stress everywhere that there had been practically nothing fun to do in the slightest. Everyone had been working so hard, trying to get those all important final grades for graduation that life had practically become nothing less than a blur of lectures, library work, edits, meetings with professors, rescheduling everything because there was a draft needed of a particular piece of coursework due that had been forgotten about in all the madness and socialising was a great big fat no. Kris couldn’t even remember the last time he had managed to steal more than a few tender moments with either of his beautiful omegas. Well at least nothing more than their morning routines and hushed words before rushing off to wherever. Or the nights when the alpha would just grab hold of the two omegas and drag them to bed in an attempt to make them get some sleep. It never really worked in the slightest of course but at least they got to share a few precious moments together. 

Kris’s wolf was getting angsty without the presence of his mates and the alpha knew that the two omegas were beginning to suffer just a little bit with virtually no attention on either of them. 

But that was all about to change, graduation was just around the corner and they had all managed to somehow wrangle getting the exact same fortnight off which meant that they would finally get some time to destress and just be together. In a few scattered moments when he had managed to catch up on the ever growing work pile, Kris had been able to secure them a small caravan holiday in the country and had even planned a couple of dates for his two omegas. Mostly he had gone for things that they could do as a trio, but he had set aside a night for each of his beautiful omegas because they really did deserve to get all of his undivided attention. There was part of his mind that did honestly wonder just how on earth he was going to manage eleven omegas who would all be after his attention and sometimes he would stress over it but usually at that point Luhan would kick him back to the present. 

“Stop thinking ahead of time,” Luhan would say, scowling a bit, “We can figure that bridge out when we get there.” 

Kris would always sigh or whine at that remark, but it was a more playful exasperation these days than anything actually malicious. Conversation would resume as normal after that and the trio would continue on with their chaotic lives. Though Kris sometimes wished that they had the two extra bodies in the flat, even though it had been nearly two years since any of them had seen Xiumin or Chen, they all still felt their missing presence. In second year, Kris had asked for help in finding the two omegas but virtually next to nothing had come up about them since. Other than a blurry CCTV footage of the pair arriving at the nearest airport and heading inside but after that the trail went cold. All that could be confirmed was that they had boarded a private jet which had a pre-planned flight set but no destination saved on the systems. 

Someone had clearly paid a lot of money to keep the location secret and that just made Kris worry all the more. 

They did actually get a few new flatmates over the course of the last two years, but the first two had been work-a-holics who only turned up to mess up the kitchen and bathroom before disappearing again and never actually helping out. The next two were actually pretty decent, as they were two girls. Jessica was a lovely goddess who always knew when to be in the right place at the right time and acted more like an omega than her alpha status belied but Kris was not going to be the idiot who took her on as within her first week of being there, he had personally witnessed her taking down two guys who were at least three times bigger than her. Luhan sometimes playfully joked that he got jealous because Jessica could boss Kris around, but Jessica would just reply that he had the big bad wolf wrapped around his little finger anyway, so it became a joke between the pair of them. Yixing was a lot shyer around Jessica at first, unusually so but once they got over the awkward stage of figuring one another out, they became fashion divas together and Yixing was frequently used as a dressing dummy for the alphas works. 

Not that Kris minded, it was fun seeing his pretty omega getting all dressed up and made to look more beautiful because of it. 

The other flatmate lasted all of a month after she took quite the fancy to Kris and tried every which way to get his attention for all the wrong reasons and then freaked out when she came home to find Yixing and Kris kissing. Jessica had questioned her sanity at that point because even she had figured out that there were mates living in the dorm. 

Still Kris shook his head to clear all the strange thoughts going around it because he had finally finished packing up his room and all that was left to be done was the cases to be taken to the car and then they would be out of here. Until results day but that was a month away, so it was time to relax. A tut left his mouth though when he realised that the packing tape he was using had ran out and he stood up to go find some more. 

“Are you done yet?” Luhan whined from where he was sitting on the sofa, his suitcases packed and ready to go. 

“Just need to seal one more box and then we’re out of here,” Kris said, peppering the other head with a series of kisses, “Where’s Yixing?” 

“Putting his stuff in the car,” Luhan said, standing up to stretch, “Said he wanted to do it by himself before you start.” 

“I’m going to miss all this arguing,” Jessica called from the kitchen, where she was in the process of washing up the dishes, “I swear my flatmates better be all mates next year cause I don’t want to put up with a bunch of whiny hoes.” 

Kris laughed and looped his arms around her middle in a hug, “Aww, you can always move in with us Jess, we’re only going to be in the city.” 

“Ha, her mysterious boyfriend will not like that,” Luhan said, appearing out of Kris’s room with the last box all sealed up. “When are we going to get to meet him anyway? You promised before the end of semester.” 

“Isn’t he the bloke with the fancy car waiting outside the dorms with a big bouquet of flowers?” Yixing asked as he strolled in, rolling his eyes at Kris and shaking his head, “You may want to get our alphas scent off you, Jess, he looks to be the jealous type.” 

Jessica rolled her eyes, “I’ve had your bloody alphas scent all over me since I turned up here, Xing, don’t worry, he’s used to it. Though I’ve not had a…” her phone blazed into life just at that second and she playfully glared at the trio before snatching the device away from Luhan and disappearing quickly. 

“Aww, Xing!” Luhan complained and then squealed when another phone was shoved into his face containing a picture of the said guy who had come to pick Jessica up. “Oh my gosh, he’s so handsome.” 

“Ain’t he?” Yixing giggled, “I’ll admit I was smitten.” 

A flare of jealously hit both of their nostrils at the same time which caused the two omegas to turn to their alpha and immediately burst out laughing. A half-pout, half-pissed off look was on the others face and Kris looked about three steps away from just grabbing the pair of them in order to remind them both of who they belonged to. In any other situation it would have probably been quite the turn on but at that moment it was just funny and Yixing wrapped himself tightly around the others neck. “Geeze, if I had known you were going to react like this, I would have tormented you with him a whole lot earlier.” 

“Humph,” Kris replied, folding his arms over his chest. 

Luhan chuckled and rolled his eyes, poking his alpha in the side, “Oh come on, you know fine well that we would never stray. But can’t blame a guy for apricating good looks, now can we?” 

The phone was thrown in his face and Kris double blinked at seeing a highly attractive guy with a sharp jawline, jet black hair and mesmerising eyes in a fine suit with the flashy car and the flowers. He blinked for a moment and then let out his own chuckle. “Okay, true that but don’t get any wild ideas now boys.” 

“Oh? Why?” Yixing asked, blinking earnestly towards him. 

“He’s an omega,” Kris said, moving to grab his own bags whilst Luhan started grabbing his. 

“Sod off,” Luhan said, shaking his head, “No way is he an omega.” 

“Jessica is a female alpha,” Kris replied back, shaking his head. 

Yixing blinked, “That doesn’t mean a thing, she can still get with a hot alpha like him.” 

“Trust me he’s an omega,” Kris replied, shouldering his backpack. 

“Ignore him, he’s being jealous again,” Luhan said, passing Yixing a plushi to carry before heading out of the dorm. “He’ll say anything stupid to through us off the scent.” 

“I will not,” Kris said, leaning over the two omegas to hold the door open for them, “I’m telling you that guy is an omega.” 

“Nickhyun is not an omega,” Yixing replied, shaking his head and then started skipping down the corridor, “Our alpha is jealous!” 

“Your alpha is going to kick your butt if you don’t stop telling the world that I’m jealous over an omega whose dating my alpha best friend,” Kris called, as he finished locking the door and then rushed to catch up with the other two. The car had been parked quite close to the entrance of the dorms, so it wasn’t going to be that hard to get loaded up. Yixing opened the boot and the cases were loaded in, with a minimum amount of hassle as they had each began to move things out over the course of the last three months so that they didn’t have to hire a moving van. 

Kris took the keys from Yixing and gave him a bop on the nose before grinning at Luhan, “So whose riding up front?” 

“Neither of us,” Luhan replied with a shrug, “Cause we’re going to put the cooler there and the connector lead doesn’t stretch all the way to the back seats.” 

“You just wanted a snuggle-buddy,” Kris said but grinned. 

A blush crossed Luhan’s face, but he just stuck his tongue out at Kris and then leapt across to hug an oblivious Yixing, “Wrong! I wanted a snuggle unicorn!” 

Shaking his head, Kris grabbed the pair of troublemakers in a hug and squished them both until they couldn’t do anything but complain. Then loaded them both into the back seats of the car, fussed and fannied on to make sure they were securely in with their seatbelts and had enough to keep them comfortable and happy before hopping into the front, setting the sat-nav and beginning to drive. 

Yixing smiled, “So I know we’re going to my Mam’s house, stopping over for the night, then going to Luhan’s family for a night and then to your mothers for a bit before we go on holiday. But where exactly are we going on that holiday?” 

Kris grinned, “Not telling you until we get there!” 

“Oh, come on, at least give us a hint!” Luhan whined, “You’re going to have me be all angsty in case it’s not someplace fun.” 

“When I have ever taken you to someplace that’s not fun?” Kris asked. 

“Legoland!” both omegas said together in the same voice. 

Kris blushed a little, “That was your idea, I’d like to remind the pair of you.” 

“Whatever, you still took us there,” Luhan said, looking out of the window as the university disappeared from view, “oh and goodbye uni.” 

“Yes, goodbye uni!” Yixing yelled, waving just a little too enthusiastically out of the window. 

Kris sighed, shook his head, selected a playlist and continued to drive.

~*~

It was dark when the car pulled up at the caravan site and Kris let out a soft sigh of relief as he pulled into an available parking spot. From the front passenger seat, Luhan stirred, raising his head a little with a grunt of confusion but Kris reached across and gently petted his head. “Go back to sleep, I’ll get us checked in.” 

A silent nod was his answer as the pink haired boy rested his head back down onto his pillow and re-snuggled into his blanket. The omega was asleep in literally five seconds and the alpha was happy for that. Twisting his head to check the back seats, he was happy to see that Yixing had not even moved from where he was laid sprawled across the seats, chest rising and falling gently. 

Opening the car door as quietly as he could, Kris headed to the main reception and was relieved greatly to see that there was still someone manning the desk. He had feared that they would be too late because of a nasty traffic accident on the main highway which had resulted them getting stuck for three and a half hours. But the woman smiled, thanked him for letting them know that he would be arriving late and gave him the directions to the caravan that they would be staying in. It was positioned on the edge of the park, close to the nature trails and the pathway that lead to the coastal route which would be perfect for those much needed runs. 

Kris had been itching to turn into a wolf for weeks now, just the thought of being able to run in the open as wild and free as he was meant to do had been one of the few things that had kept him going over the long weeks. Smiling towards the woman, he headed back towards his car and set off at a slow pace to the caravan. Thankfully it did not take him too long to find it and after taking a glance at his still sleeping omegas, he thought it best to do the most gentlemanly thing. So, he opened the caravan, took all their cases inside and then spent a good half hour changing the seating area into a large bed for the three of them. The actual movement of the furniture elements took no time at all, it was more complicated getting the sheets, blankets, pillows and all their assorted covers on and in just the right place. 

Happy with his work, the alpha headed back to the car and chuckled quietly to himself. Neither Luhan or Yixing had moved at all, despite the fresh smelling air or the gentle lull of the breeze and his muffled curses which really showed just how exhausted they had been. Snapping a few pictures on his camera, the alpha put the device away before opening the passenger side door, unbuckling Luhan and picking him up. 

The omega hummed a bit, immediately snuggling into the familiar warmth but otherwise gave no indications of waking up in the slightest. Kris carried him into the caravan and laid him down gently in the huge nest of blankets and pillows. For a moment he took the time to apricate the other, his soft lines, heart lips, long eyelashes that just twitched in sleep and how serene and peaceful he looked right now. “Sleep well, my little deer,” he murmured quietly before pressing a kiss to the side of the sleeper’s head. 

Returning to the car, Kris closed the front doors and then opened the passenger side back door in order to get Yixing out. The omega had shifted awake, though appeared to be still half asleep and cutely rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his palm as the alpha leaned across to undo the safety belt. “When did we get here?” he asked softly, sounding just as much asleep as he should have been. 

“About forty-five minutes ago,” Kris cooed gently towards the other, running his hand through his messy hair and placing a kiss on the others forehead. “Don’t worry, I got everything in.” 

“But we were supposed to help you,” Yixing commented, though each word became softer as he was gently cradled in the pair of strong arms. “You’re not supposed…” 

“Let me indulge in spoiling my omegas for once, hmm?” Kris commented, a smile on his face as he kicked the car door closed and headed into the caravan with Yixing. “You two need some fuss and attention right now.” 

“You…too,” Yixing replied, his eyes slipping back shut. 

Kris did not reply, knowing that doing so would prevent Yixing from drifting off to sleep. Carefully he carried the omega over to the big nest and set him down next to his pack mate, knowing that they still liked to cuddle when he was not in the bed straight away with them. The alpha did desperately want to join his precious omegas in bed but there were a couple of things he had to quickly sort out before he could do. 

His first priority was to lock the car, which was just a case of stepping outside the door and pressing a button but as he did the strangest sensation came over him. A feeling of longing, of want, of desire and for a second or two instinct kicked in and his alpha howled. An omega was somewhere nearby, in heat and desperately calling out for someone to come and relieve the pressure on them. The call was strong, almost impossible to resist and a foot placed itself just on the ground before an overwhelming presence of a very protective alpha flared up with such a stench that Kris recoiled. Shaking his head, he held his nose and quickly locked the car before closing the door a little harsher than he meant to. 

“Geeze, someone over-reacted,” he commented to himself as he locked the door, knowing better than to try and stray out when someone that protective was out for the omega in heat. Part of him could only hope that whoever was taking good care of the poor creature and not about to do horrendous things to them, because no omega deserved to go through something as horrible as that in the slightest. Something prodded at the back of his brain, telling him to go back out, the instinct to protect overpowering his natural repulsion of the other alphas warning to back off but he pushed it aside. There was no point in going out into the darkness to try and find someone he didn’t know, plus he had his own mates to worry about. Ensuring once again that the door was closed, and putting back the chair he very nearly wedged against the door just to be extra safe, Kris moved to grab their phones, put them onto silent mode and charge Yixing’s as it was completely dead as per usual and then checked his own briefly. 

A couple of emails from prospective employers who had seen his work at the showcase and an confirmation of an high class internship should he achieve his predicted 1st, with a foot note that as long as he got a 2:1 they would put him on it. 

There was also the monthly update from the private investigator who was still looking into Xiumin’s and Chen’s mysterious circumstances but other than the information which had been sent to his mother, there was nothing new that could give the alpha a hint. However, there was hope as the investigator said that he had narrowed down the private jet to two families which in turn had led him to several likely options, but he couldn’t yet divulge the details. A smile crossed Kris’s face as he started typing back a reply, thanking the man for the update and telling him to keep him informed when he had anything more. 

Though just as he finished, a call from an unknown number came up on the screen and whilst normally the alpha would have just ignored it as being nothing more than potential spam, instinct kicked him in the gut once again and he answered the call. “Hello?” 

There was silence for a few seconds, though Kris could hear a slight gasp of surprise and the sounds of supressed tears. “Hey…who’s this? Are you okay?” 

“K…Kris?” the tiny, broken voice spoke.

A heavy thump went through the alpha’s chest, “Chen?”

“Oh my god!” the voice on the other end of the line continued, raising slightly as it always did whenever Chen cursed the gods and he sound a mixture between relieved and utterly devastated right now. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” 

“Whoa, hey, what’s going on?” Kris asked, finding himself completely bewildered. “Are you all right?” 

“I tried, I tried to tell them…but they wouldn’t…” the voice continued, sobbing louder, “He’s lost them Kris! He won’t recover! They say he will, but he won’t, I know it! It’s my fault! All my fault! If I hadn’t made him take those stupid pills.” 

Glancing at the sleeping pair, Kris hurried back out into the open and knocked the door closed again. There was just constant sobbing on the end of the line now and the repetition of the shame phrases. “Okay, okay, talk to me Chen. Where are you?” There only came the repeating of the same apologises and misguided blame. The alpha felt frustrated but managed to remain calm. “I can’t come and help you and Xiumin if I can’t find you. Where are you?” 

“I’m sorry,” Chen replied, “I just…. needed to hear your voice…one last time.” 

“No, Chen! Don’t hang up,” Kris nearly shouted, “Where are you? Please, tell me and I’ll come and find you.” 

“No,” Chen replied, “Xiumin wouldn’t want them to get their hands on your two loves.” 

Kris felt ice seep into his heart, “Chen…you must have seen the mark, right? You know, right? Please…let me find you. Let me take you and Xiumin out of whatever hell your in. I promise, I’ll protect your both and love you just as much as I love Luhan and Yixing. You’re both my omegas, I’ve been searching for you ever since you left. Please, just tell me where you are.” 

There was a pause, “Thank you Kris. You don’t know how much that means.” 

“Chen…” Kris felt himself shaking. 

“Goodbye, Kris,” Chen replied, “We’ll look for you in our next lives.” 

The line went dead at that point and even though he tried every which way to call it back, there was no data left on his phone. Letting out a yell of frustration, he kicked the fence around the caravan before looking up with tears in his eyes. 

Only to see a figure standing just at the edge of the circle of light coming from behind him. A scent mixed with fear, sadness, terror and desire filled the alphas nostrils along with a frightening amount of blood. Instinct kicked in immediately and he leapt over the fence and covered the space between the two of them just in time to catch hold of the figure as he collapsed to the ground. Kris instinctively pulled him in tight, wrapping his arms around the injured omega and breathed out a long sigh of relief. 

“Shush, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered softly, “I’ve got you now. You’ll be safe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, I'm sorry. This chapter caught me by suprise as well  
> Hope you enjoyed and guess who


	5. Chapter 5

The scream that startled Luhan out of his sleep was one of surprise and confusion, but it was the tears that had him kicking off the bedsheets and heading straight towards the sound. It was almost as if he was automatically drawn to it and there was nothing that could have convinced him otherwise. The caravan was quite small so he was easily able to get to the back bedroom where they would have been sleeping had their alpha not set up a full nest for them in the front. 

The pink haired omega was initially confused by what he saw, as would anyone be in this situation upon walking in on it. Closest to the door was his alpha, hands held up in a way that suggested that he was not posing any threat at all and looking as though he had barely slept a wink last night. At the opposite side of the room, desperately trying to his himself, was a half-naked boy, who was the source of the crying and the reason why Luhan felt an extreme need to move and protect. Though just before the omega side of him went wild, Luhan turned his head up towards his alpha, “Explain?” 

“He collapsed outside our caravan last night,” Kris said, speaking softly and gently, “Someone had attacked him, and I presume he got away but not without injuries. I cleaned him up as best as I could and lent him some of my clothes but just as I finished, he woke up and freaked out.” 

Luhan nodded, “I brought some green tea with me, set some to boil and wake Yixing up. Then you get some sleep. We can deal with this frightened cub.” His eyes narrowed ever so slightly when Kris opened his mouth as if to argue but the smaller man shook his head and grabbed hold of Kris’s forearm, “You’ve done more than enough for him, my alpha, he needs calming down right now and you need sleep. Please, just trust me.” 

“But what if…” Kris said, turning his head as if he were looking out of the front door. 

“No ones come knocking throughout the night, right?” Luhan kept his words low and gentle, “Lock the door but neither me or Yixing will open it to anyone. I promise.” 

Kris still looked a little on the apprehensive side, caught between exhaustion, worry, an overprotective streak that was rearing itself due to the situation and a tenseness that Luhan could only sense because he was standing so close to his alpha. There had been a lot of things that had happened last night clearly, and the stubborn alpha needed time to process them all. Thankfully Luhan knew the exact medicine to get the alpha to do what he wanted. Standing slightly on his toes, he twisted Kris’s face back to his and pressed his lips to the alphas. It took only a second for Kris to respond and he allowed Luhan to lead the kiss, deepening it with his tongue and following the movements in an almost lazy manner. The tension left his frame, melting away as he allowed himself to be dominated, guided and loved before pulling back to take a deep breath. 

The alpha stared at his omega with a small smile that conveyed his love and tender feelings towards the other, before he gently ran his long fingers down the side of the others face. Letting out a sigh, Kris leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Luhan’s forehead, “Take care of him, he’s only a baby.” 

“I know,” Luhan replied back softly, kissing at Kris’s neck, “Don’t worry, I know how to look after babies.” 

A whimper broke off any further attempts at conversation and Luhan patted Kris’s arm, “Go. Get that green tea made up.” 

Once the door was closed, Luhan let out a sigh and turned to look at the other omega who was suddenly in their space. Strangely he felt no frustration towards the other, no threat or worries that he may be trying to invade but Luhan put that down to the simple fact that the boy was clearly just a terrified cub who had been rudely thrown into being an adult with next to no warning or help. Or maybe the type of help that no one ever wanted to go through.   
Spotting a blanket that had been discarded near his feet, Luhan picked it up and carefully made his way over to the terrified youngster in the corner. “Hey,” he started quietly, sending out as many omega pheromones as he possibly could do to make the other relax and know he was safe, “You’re okay. You’re safe. I’m not going to hurt you.” 

The boy curled up on himself a bit more, his spinal code bumping against the dark tan of his skin and causing several scratches to start bleeding once again. Luhan knelt carefully, staring in horror at the series of marks that there were, trying to not scrunch his nose too much when he picked up the lingering whiffs of heat and a flower substitute liquid which he had only come into contact with. Feeling his stomach twist, Luhan felt his heart go out to the boy as he got just a little bit closer, “Oh, little one, what have they done to you?” 

Another half sob came from the boy, as he tried to tuck himself tighter into the corner but his right hand was digging into the wall and clenching back and forth almost as if he didn’t know if it was a good idea to let go or not. Letting out another huge blast of mothering hormones, Luhan made the bold move to break into the boy’s personal bubble to wrap the blanket that he had in his hands around the shivering body as tightly as he could. “Shuuuuu,” he spoke softly, “I promise you, cubby, you’re safe and I won’t let anyone hurt you.” 

Briefly the boy in the corner struggled against him, clearly still caught up in whatever nightmare it was that had been thrown upon him but then instinct kicked in and he flopped back against the other omega. Sobs were still escaping from his lips and there was still a high amount of shivering present but Luhan did not mind that in the slightest. Instead he slowly helped the boy out of the corner and firmly into his arms to curl up almost impossibly small. Which was quite a feat given that for a youngster he was exceptionally long. Which probably meant that he was tall for his age, something that almost made Luhan pout because he always slightly hated being considered small and dainty just because of his status, plus when he was standing next to his alpha it was a frequent statement directed towards himself that he just hated. Though never got that fussed when Kris called him it. 

However, looking at this frightened boy in his arms, Luhan got a fair idea why he may have been attacked. He was tall, thin, not yet fully grown into his adult skin and had muscles the likes of which Luhan would had never suspected if he didn’t happen to be in only half of Kris’s clothes. Though spotting a large t-shirt nearby, it was clear that the alpha had been in the process of dressing the omega before he woke up and freaked out. Thinking fast he lent across, grabbed the piece of clothing and gave it a shake out before shifting his stance a little, “Hey, I’m going to put this t-shirt on you, it should fit cause it’s…big,” he corrected himself quickly from saying ‘from my alpha who appears to be just as big as you’ as somehow that felt like a bad idea right now. “I’m not going anywhere, okay, just need to detach from the hug for a few seconds.” 

The boy nodded and moved his body away from the warmth that the other omega provided. The fabric was quickly spilled over his frame and whilst it was clearly just an old shirt that was used for sleeping in or lazy days when nothing much was planned, a flare of warmth and the feeling of home flushed through the younger omega. Who immediately blushed at the notion and held his down. Luhan blinked at the reaction and frowned a little before taking just a moment to look over the other. His face was like the rest of his body, strong lines, sharp jawline, feline like eyes that were dark as the night but with additional little eyebags that emphasised just how tired he was. His slightly darker skin tone shone with the tears that were trickling down his face and his jet black hair was in desperate need of a good wash and a style as it was clearly some uniformed school cut. 

To further mar the looks of the other however, there were numerous cuts to his face, several on his lips and one on his eyebrow as well. Bruises, dark and large looking were beginning to form on the skin, which was mirrored on his arms and torso, with more cuts and grazes there. Though what got Luhan the most was that there was a look of dejection on the boy’s face, like his whole world had just been ripped out from underneath his feet. His entire aura, that wasn’t currently twitching from the latter stages of heat, was a deep dark grey that was slowly giving away to black and something deep within Luhan just couldn’t allow this fragile young omega to fall into that darkness. He reached out, placing his hand on the others cheek to make those lost eyes look up at him and once he had established eye contact, the elder omega said, “Stay with me, stay with us, we will help you. No matter what.” 

The boy swallowed heavily, more tears appearing in his eyes as he shook his head. “I…can’t…” the words were broken, and barely present, almost as if he hadn’t spoke in a long while. “They…hunt…hurt…” He paused for a few seconds, seeming to debate the next words that he was going to say before letting out a shuddering breath. “Huángjiā lǎohǔ

Luhan sat back a little, staring at the other in front of him with a new wave of understanding that shook him to the core. The Royal Tiger Pack were notorious for their strict upbringing and how they conducted their day to day lives. Everything was regimented, followed a strict hierarchy and made sense only to those who were part of the pack. They did tests far earlier on cubs to determine if they were going to be alpha, betas or omegas and then trained them to be their ideal version of that without exception to the rules. Catching hold of the unnamed boys left wrist, he pulled it towards himself without asking permission and stared at the mark there. 

A black cross with a red lotus in the middle of it. 

“They trained you to be an alpha?” Luhan stated. 

The boy straightened, pulling his arm back with frightened eyes and an expression that said at any moment he was going to bolt. Luhan shook his head, showing his own clean wrists, “No, I’m not. Don’t worry. I have several cousins in that pack, I went to meet them when they were having their ceremonies….” He shuddered and pushed those memories aside as fast as they appeared in his head. “Never forgotten those marks…” 

Shaking his head, he looked back towards the boy who was looking down at the ground once again and felt pity for him. “Did your brothers attack you or was it…” 

The boy shook his head, “Don’t…” 

“Listen…” 

“No…” the boy hiccupped again, beginning to shake, “I’ve already lost so much, I don’t want anymore blood on…” 

Catching the boy’s hands, Luhan pulled the boy back, “There won’t be.” 

“There will,” he said, tears dripping down his face, “He’ll be back by now and will have reported. They’ll be here so soon…I need to go.” 

The door to the room opened, causing both omegas to jump as Yixing stepped inside carrying a tray of green tea. “Hey, thought this may help.” 

Luhan smiled up towards the other omega, “You always think of the best things, come on, have some tea. It’ll help.” 

Instead the boy just stared at the pair, not understanding how they could be so calm and relaxed when there was untold danger lingering outside. Yixing smiled softly as he settled down next to the pair, handing the pair a cup apiece, “I’ve put some rice into the cooker, is there anything you particularly want to eat right now?” 

Once again, the boy just blinked, staring at the other two with no comprehension as to what was going on in the slightest and he put the cup down on the ground. “I should…go…” 

“Why?” asked Yixing, tilting his head, “You’re still very hurt.” 

Opening his mouth to respond, the boy instead suddenly coughed and then lurched forward. His hands just got to his mouth in time to catch the vomit that spewed out of his mouth. Yixing turned and ran to grab a bucket, whilst Luhan wrapped the blanket back around the shivering boy, “Okay, just get it all up. This is going to hurt and be horrible but we’re here for you.” 

Alpha pheromones filled the doorway, “What can I do to help?” 

“Go to bed,” Yixing said, bustling past with the bucket though he paused for a moment to take a look at the alpha. Kris looked half dead and he sighed, “If you’re that strung out, guard the door and keep any other alphas away. This is not going to be a pretty sight at all.” 

Kris nodded, looking towards the boy once again and forced himself to ignore the desperate tugging at his heart as he turned to go and protect the door. Yixing closed the bedroom door and locked it, just to be safe and then returned to the pair, “Here we go, throw it up into there. Don’t worry about the mess.” 

“Shit…” Luhan muttered from behind the boys back, “He’s got slick all over.” 

The boy whined in fear and Yixing was quick to raise his head, “It’s okay, it’s natural. It’s perfectly natural. You’ll get through this.” 

Luhan sighed, “He’s been brought up as an alpha.” 

Yixing blinked and Luhan nodded towards the others wrist. A simple, ‘Oh’, escaped Yixing as he saw the tattoo before looking back at the boy. “Right, that changes things but don’t worry. We’re here for you. Though I suppose first things first, I’m Yixing and he’s Luhan. We’re packmates with the same alpha and he’s Kris. He’s the grumpy sod who brought you in here and won’t go to sleep because he’s so worried about you.” 

“He’s a gentle giant though, don’t worry,” Luhan hummed gently, shifting his position to help the boy lay down on his side, “He’s just an overprotective git towards omegas.” 

More tears foamed in the boy’s eyes and Yixing gently brushed them away, “What’s your name, little one?” 

The boy gulped, “Zi…Zitao.” 

Yixing smiled, “Hi Zitao, I know this is scary and painful but me and Luhan are here for you and we’ve both been through this before…” 

“Correction you have,” Luhan stated back, a little playfully catty but not too rude, “I’ve just helped.” 

“Helped?” Zitao asked, sounding terrified. 

Yixing grimaced, “Yeah…this is your first heat, right?” 

There was silence from the younger boy and the two older omegas knew what that meant. “Okay, we’re here for you. We’ll do our best to help out, okay?” 

Zitao began shaking, his breath coming out in short breaths as he felt a strange prickling sensation spike through his body. The room temperature doubled in a matter of seconds and Zitao was sure that he was going to burst into flames from the heat. He could feel himself harden despite there being nothing to stimulate him and a heavy, clear liquid was dripping down his thighs at a rate that he did not believe. Somehow, he managed to get onto his back, but all this did was increase the sensations running through his body and make him whine again. 

“Right, time to get clothes off,” Yixing said, coming into Zitao’s hazy view, slightly upside down, “Zitao, are you okay with this? It’ll help a little bit okay?” 

Shaking his head, Zitao gripped at his clothes and shook his head, images of last night running though his head as more tears began to fall down his eyes. “No…please…don’t want…” 

“Little one, it’ll only hurt more if you let it…” Luhan started before Zitao wailed and turned over onto his side, curling up into the tightest little ball that he could make himself. Both omegas panicked and tried to get the youngster to uncurl himself as they both knew that it was a very bad thing indeed but neither of them could do anything of the sort. 

Yixing bit his lip and looked up at Luhan, “We’re going to have to get Kris.” 

“What?” Luhan looked up, “Are you fucking insane?” 

“He needs relief and help,” Yixing stated back, “We won’t be able to give him that.” 

“He’s already been attacked before,” Luhan said, “He doesn’t need another alpha all over him.” 

Yixing rolled his eyes, “It isn’t any alpha. It’s our alpha. You know that he’ll treat him like a prince.” 

“Yixing are you even listening to yourself?” Luhan shook his head, still trying to get Zitao to uncurl himself, “You’re practically offering this baby to an alpha when he doesn’t even know what he is. I know Kris will care for him, he cares for us, but we can’t just throw this little lamb to the lion and expect him to come out the other side just fine.” 

Taking a deep breath, Yixing steadied his nerve before saying very clearly, “He’s already dressed in Kris’s clothes, his omega has scented the alpha it wants. Hence why we can’t get him out of this position. We’re going to have to face up to this situation at some point Luhan, we’re not Kris’s only omegas.” 

“I know that,” Luhan snapped back, trying to not bare his fangs. “But he’s a child going through his first heat! An alpha helping him through it is…” the elder omega looked down towards Zitao who had stilled suddenly, the collar of the shirt that he was wearing covering his nose. There was a pause for a few seconds and then a pulse scent of longing, desire, need and want rolled off the boy. But mixed in was the scent of bamboo which had to belong to the youngster below. Luhan took a deep breath of his own, a blush crossing his face as he easily recognised the scent, with the exception of it usually containing the Dang Gui which Yixing usually gave off. Pressing close to the boy, he gave him a gentle back hug and kissed just behind his ear. “Don’t worry little one, we’ll help you. Just please, don’t get freaked out by anything that happens from here on in.” 

Yixing gulped, “Luhan?” 

“You’re right, he needs Kris,” Luhan replied, trying his best not to burst into tears, “Though I fear that it’s going to ruin him.” 

Yixing extended his hand out towards Luhan’s arm and squeezed it tight, “We have to have faith in our alpha. He’ll look after this little one, you know it.”   
Nodding, Luhan looked down at Zitao once again, “I know. I just want him safe.” 

~*~

The haze which had been clogging Zitao’s brain, making it impossible to focus on anything other than the horrendous feeling rushing through his entire body right now, suddenly cleared as a pair of strong arms wrapped around his body and lifted him off the floor. Zitao took a moment to adjust to the sudden clarity that he found himself in, unsure if it was an illusion or not before looking up to the man who was holding him in. 

His breath caught in his throat as he stared up at the alpha. Sharp dark eyes, a strong jawline with a prominent chin, dark hair swept back in a style which suggested he had at least tried to tidy himself up a bit but all it made Zitao want to do was grab hold and mess it up. The youngster could feel his heart beating a thousand times a minute and his already hard penis throbbed with desire to be touched. A blush crossed his cheeks as he was laid down on the bed, able to feel just how soaked the borrowed trousers were and he whined. 

“What’s wrong?” a deep voice asked him, so soft and gentle and Zitao stared up at the alpha above him with a mixture of feelings running through him. Half of his mind felt so confused, terrified by the feelings of longing and desire he had but unable to deny the attraction that he also felt towards this alpha. He had been trained with other alphas, all of whom were attractive in their own right and he had seen all of them without their clothes on more times than he could count but never had they elicited this reaction in him. 

Even his long term friend who had…fear suddenly punched him in the gut, images of his clothes being torn off, of clawed hands ripping through his body and being unable to fight back filled his mind and a scream of panic escaped his lips. Instinct took over, making him lash out and fight back, scream for his life though he didn’t understand why in the slightest because he knew that he was a fighter and could take down anyone without so much as a thought. But no retaliation did he feel, no punches back, no claws ripping into his flesh and demanding anything. Instead there were a pair of strong hands with incredibly long, beautiful fingers, gripping just tight enough around his wrists to guide them back to the bed and a just hold them in place. It wasn’t a restraint to make him do something against his will, it was a hold to protect him, to keep him safe, to just ensure that nothing too extreme happened. 

Zitao slowly peeled open his eyes, ashamed to find tears still falling down his face because he was not supposed to be this weak. He was not a cry-baby, despite knowing deep down in his heart that he was. That he hated the idea of killing anything, that he didn’t want to fight all of the time. That some nights he just wanted to drift away into the shadows and find out who he really was. He had always known that he was different from the others, though he could blend in easily enough with them, but there was always something just empty and missing from his life that he could not pinpoint or understand. 

The alpha above him still hadn’t moved, just hovered above him with such warm understanding eyes that Zitao found himself crying harder. His arms were released when he tried to move them and he covered his face with his hands, He couldn’t even begin to unravel all of the crazy feelings and emotions that were going around his body and heart right now and it showed. “Hey,” the alpha, Kris if Zitao remembered rightly, spoke, “I’m just going to lean down on you a bit okay? If you want me off, just say.” 

Feeling the weight of the other connecting to his body, brought a sigh of satisfaction to Zitao’s lips and instinctively he removed his hands from his face and then wrapped them around Kris’s neck, like it was the most natural thing to do. His movements paused, fear and insecurity clear on his face which caused a gentle chuckle to escape from the alpha’s lips. “It’s okay, just do what you want right now. This is your time.” 

A shuddering breath escaped from Zitao, “I…I don’t…I’ve never…I…” 

“I know,” Kris replied softly, just gently placing his hands back on the others face. “It’s okay. You’ve no idea what’s going on and that’s fine. Just let your instincts guide you, tell me what you like and what you don’t. I’ll listen and be guided by you.” 

Zitao gulped, feeling his breath speeding up as he continued to stare at the alpha above him and allowed himself to listen to the instincts that were screaming at him right now. “Kiss me…please?” 

Smiling a little towards the adorable boy, Kris nodded and leaned down, pressing his lips against Zitao’s. They were as soft as they appeared, gentle and sweet with that refreshing scent upon them. Zitao felt lightheaded and increased his grip around Kris’s neck before gasping lightly when the slightly taller man moved his body against him. “Sorry,” Kris said sweetly, “Was just repositioning…” 

“Again,” Zitao whimpered slightly, “Please…” 

Taming the alpha inside him that was ready to pounce and breed this needful omega, Kris gently rocked his body against Zitao’s, able to feel just how hard the omega was. There was also a dampness present that had increased since they had started, and an odd sort of pride welled up in Kris’s stomach though he couldn’t quite place as to what it was. Hearing a needful whine coming from Zitao, he paused his movements and allowed them both a moment and two to calm down. “Hot…” Zitao managed to stammer out, his dark skin flushed a lovely shade of red. 

Kris nodded, “Indeed. I’m going to take my shirt off, okay? Then yours.” He watched as Zitao shyly looked up at him, all sweet and innocent and alluring in all the right ways. If he had been weaker, he would have been devouring the young man who had practically been given to him, but his eyes landed on one of the forming bruises and he reigned himself in. Zitao was a boy who should have been guided by a loving pair of hands through this first heat and that was what he was here to do. Be that guide, be a gentle and loving alpha. 

Sitting back on his haunches, not missing the moan that slipped from the youngsters’ lips as their clothed crotches rubbed together, Kris grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up, revealing his toned body to the omega. Zitao stared, unable to help himself from doing so as the man who had a beautiful face also had a stunning body to go with it and it was doing all sorts of things to his heart. He found himself whining as he spread his legs a little further, feeling more slick escaping from his hole and an urgent need for something to be down below and filling him up. His hands moved to Kris’s hips, just resting on the fabric of his trousers despite the fact they were shaking so badly. “You can touch, if you want,” Kris spoke, his voice lower now, “I’ll let you up.” 

“No, don’t…” Zitao ground himself upwards onto Kris and whined, “Just…” 

“Here,” Kris replied, sensing that the child beneath him really had not experienced anything like this before. “Let me help you.” Gently he lifted Zitao up before settling him back down on his knees. Their lips met again in a couple of sweet kisses, that were getting more addictive by the second, before Kris grabbed the hem of Zitao’s shirt and pulled the material upwards. Instinct made Zitao try to hide his body, wrapping his long arms around himself in a defensive movement but Kris wasn’t the least bit offended by it. He was annoyed by the marks present on the others skin but brushed it aside as he raised Zitao’s head with his fingers and reconnected their lips once again. This time though, he ran his hand around Zitao’s stomach towards his back and used the gasp of surprise to gently dip his tongue into the others mouth. 

The taste of the omega was so sweet and refreshing on his tongue, it reminded him of the first time that he had tasted sweet soju and already he wanted more of that taste. But he refrained from rushing things and pulled back, only to find Zitao chasing his lips and latching back onto him. The boy’s nimble fingers latched into his hair as their tongues once again joined. It was slow, sweet and innocent, explorative and unsure but Kris found he didn’t mind in the slightest. In fact, it made him feel more turned on and no one else was going to get a hold on this omega in the slightest. His large hands roamed softly over Zitao’s flesh, down his long back, across his stomach and along his arms, giving him the sensations of how someone should make love to him. When he was sure that Zitao was relaxed enough, Kris dared to bring his fingers to the others nipples to gently tease at them. 

A gasp of surprise left Zitao’s throat as he pulled back, looking a mixture between shocked and turned on by the sensation. “W…what?” 

“Oh, didn’t you know these were sensitive?” Kris asked with a little humour in his voice, brushing his thumbs over the nubs once again. “Especially during your heat. Do you like this?” 

Zitao whined harder, finding himself pushing his chest further outwards to give Kris more access whilst his own hands gripped at air. Kris smiled at him softly, “Touch me…do what you want, Zitao, I’m yours right now. Do what you need to do.” 

For a few seconds Zitao couldn’t even process that thought in the slightest before he opted to just go with the flow and found himself virtually throwing his weight onto Kris to crash their lips together. The kiss was rushed, unfocused and rather slobbery but Zitao didn’t even care. He just wanted this sensation, this rough kiss, this moment, all to be his and Kris was giving him everything. A light push at his shoulders forced him back up, unable to recall when he had pushed the alpha onto his back but the whine of confusion turned into one of pleasure when he felt his hips being pushed down to rest on Kris’s errection, “Sorry, your knee was digging painfully into me. Now, where were we?” 

Grabbing hold of the omega’s globes, Kris squeezed them tightly as their lips reconnected and this time took a little more lead to help the younger along. Zitao was so responsive to him, seeming to know when to follow and when to take the lead, even though he was just so innocent in all of this and that made things all the more interesting. Though suddenly, Zitao pulled back, a garbled noise escaping his throat that made the alpha panic, “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” 

“Feels funny,” Zitao managed, blushing crimson, “Down there.” 

“What sort of funny?” Kris asked, gently giving the round globes a squeeze. 

“Like…like…” Zitao’s hips cantered forward, “Going to, explode!” 

Kris wasted no time in bringing one of his hands around to the front of Zitao’s trousers and palmed at the bulge that was present. “Let me help you with that.” 

“Ah…ah…Kris!” Zitao cried sweetly, still blushing and cantering his hips forward, “I…I…please…” 

“Let it go, baby boy,” Kris said, his voice low, “Just allow it to happen.” 

He squeezed just a little bit tighter and Zitao let out a cry as he came. So many emotions ran through his system, relief and joy being the two primary ones and he felt the strength in his arms drop. A slight grunt came from Kris as he landed on top of him, but any apologise were silenced as their lips met together in a more slow and gentle kiss. 

Feeling the sensation subside, Zitao pulled back from the kiss and blinked at the alpha below him in question. Kris smiled up at him, knowing that look, “Do you feel better?” 

“A little,” Zitao responded, though he sounded half strained, “I feel…. like…I need something…. I want…” 

Gently Kris ran his hands down the omega’s side, glad to see that he preened under the attention, “I know what you want. Don’t worry. Just…if it starts to hurt or you don’t like it, you need to tell me straight away, okay? Don’t think you’ve got to endure anything or that I’ll get mad. I’m here for you, right now, Zitao, do you understand that? This is about what you want, what you need. Okay?” 

The boy above him nodded, blushing at the words but feeling the weight of truth behind them. He sighed out gently as he was pulled down into another long kiss, tongue entwining with the alpha’s as he was gently guided onto his back. Pulling back from the kiss, Kris smiled at the other before placing kiss after kiss down the youngster’s body. Starting at his jaw, down his neck, across collar bones, both nipples with just a teasing bite and lick to each one to hear that sweet voice from the other before dipping down across the others abdomen, tummy, belly button and stopping just at the top of the trousers. The rich aroma of Zitao’s arousal was strongest hear and Kris could see the tip of the others penis sticking out the top. Without thinking, his tongue slipped out and ran across the top, causing Zitao to yelp in surprise but then moan loudly. 

Kris smirked, liking the sound and grabbed at the top of the boy’s trousers, glancing up to check that the omega was still okay with this before pulling the garment down. 

Zitao shivered at the sensation of cold air hitting him and went to hide himself from view, blushing a dark red. It was next to impossible to do however as Kris was sitting right in the way and gently caught his hands. “What’s wrong?” 

Zitao shook his head, closing his eyes as more tears began to fall from his eyes. He felt too many emotions right now, he was just so confused and did not know where to even begin. Though the soft, warm, hands landed on his face once again and gently caressed the skin there. He tilted his head back up and opened his teary eyes, looking at Kris in the hopes that he could provide some kind of explanation. 

“Don’t think,” Kris spoke softly, leaning down, “Just feel. Let your instincts guide you. I’m here for you, little one.” Their lips connected once again, soft and gentle, exploring and timeless. Zitao’s heart fluttered and he found the extra weight provided by Kris was like a blanket he never knew he needed. He felt himself relax, lost again in the sensations and did as the alpha had instructed, he stopped thinking and just let himself feel. His hands splayed themselves on Kris’s broad back, following his spine downwards towards his buttocks and he found himself squeezing the round butt. Kris broke the kiss to smile at the omega before he pulled back a little. “I think it’s time that we prepare you.” 

“Prepare?” Zitao asked, breathing heavily though his lidded eyes looked directly at the alpha’s crotch which was straining against his trousers. He sat up and boldly cupped the alpha, “I want to see…want you like me.” 

Again, his head was tilted upwards for another kiss, which Zitao gladly partook of as he began squeezing and rubbing at the alpha. A growl of approval rippled from Kris’s throat and Zitao found himself feeling rather pleased at the sensation. Though he whined when his hand was stopped, and he half glared up at the other. “If you want to see, you’re going to have to let go of me for a few seconds,” Kris said back, kissing the pout away before shifting back so he could shimmy out of the trousers which had been getting extremely tight with how turned on the omega in front of him was making the alpha. 

Zitao stared at Kris’ errection as it was freed, he had seen alpha cocks before of course and knew they were big but this one was probably the biggest that he had ever seen. No wonder he used to get teased for his own size. Pushing those thoughts aside, Zitao peaked up at Kris who leaned over him again and helped him to lay back on the bed. “Now…this is the part that’s probably going to hurt,” Kris said softly, running his hand through Zitao’s hair, “So I need you to be honest with me, if it hurts too much or you don’t like it, tell me straight away, okay, Zitao?” 

Zitao nodded in response but then suddenly said, “Can I ask something?” 

“Sure,” Kris replied. 

Taking a deep breath, the omega licked at his lips, “Can…can you…call me…Tao?” 

Kris blinked, “Tao?” 

The boy nodded, blushing shyly, “I…I prefer it.” 

Kris nodded, “Okay, Tao. I’ll call you that.” 

A smile came from the boy, but it was quickly replaced by a gasp as a finger entered his body. Panic took hold of Tao for a few seconds, his hands flailing around until they landed on Kris’s strong shoulders and those piercing eyes locked on his own. “It’s okay, Tao, I’ve got you. Just relax.” 

Tao gulped, “Feels strange.” 

“It will do, but it’ll feel good shortly,” Kris replied, waiting a few moments before testing the waters a little and moving the finger experimentally. Tao keened at the sensation, closing his eyes and tilting his head back, more than glad that he had Kris’s firm shoulders to cling onto. Though subconsciously his legs began to spread themselves further and small little gasps started leaving his mouth. Kris peppered those lips with a series of kisses before adding in a second finger, which had Tao squirming and then whimpering as they started scissoring him.

“Hurts!” he managed, shaking but then immediately whining when Kris stopped moving. “Ah! Kris… I don’t…” 

“I know, sweetie, I got you,” Kris replied, patient and gentle, “Here, let me distract you.” A deeper kiss was placed on this lips, Kris’s tongue seeking entrance and Tao gladly opened up. He felt the hot heat prickling at his skin once again but focused on the alpha in front of him and quickly found that the fingers inside his body added sparks to that growing heat that made him more excited. He gently began pushing his hips against those fingers, making them go deeper than before and finding that his cock eagerly connected with Kris’s. The sensations were far too much now, and the omega found he wanted more of it. So, he pushed for more, making his hips go faster and feeling Kris pull him closer to get more of the needed friction. 

His second orgasm came on fast, spurting between their bodies but his loud moan was swallowed up by Kris’s mouth still being on his own. They broke apart, both seeking air and Tao found himself flopping back onto the bed, relief heavily present in his system but a longing of still being unfulfilled bouncing heavily on his heart. He stared up at the alpha, eyes glossy, lips shimmering with saliva whilst his body shone with sweat and semen and allowed instinct to guide him. Opening his legs fully, barely caring for the fact that he was now displaying everything for the alpha in front of him, Tao smiled softly up at Kris, “Take me…breed me…alpha.” 

Kris smiled, running his hand over his cock to spread a good deal of the omegas slick over it to try and make this as painless as possible. “I will, my omega,” Kris said, “Just remember what I’ve said.” 

Tao nodded and beckoned Kris closer. The alpha leaned across and placed a kiss on the soft lips before placing the tip of his cock on Tao’s rim. Gently he began pushing in, taking things as slow as he possibly could do whilst kissing the life out of Tao. For his part, Tao felt the burn of being stretched by the alpha above him, felt the way his walls expanded to fit and felt the pain but somehow it wasn’t as severe as he feared it would be. Or he was just too distracted by the others lips and tongue and the thumb on his left hand nipple to really convey any of it. A whine did leave his lips when he felt Kris fully inside him, buried deep, far deeper than he thought he would be able to go, and his nails dug into the alpha’s back. 

Kris kissed him in return, “I’m sorry, I know it hurts…” 

“Not as bad…” Tao stammered out, “As last…ugh…ah…Kris…ah.” 

“No, not yet,” Kris kissed Tao back, “You’re not ready.” 

“Want it,” Tao moaned, shifting his hips up, “Want you! Please.” 

Despite his better judgement, Kris rocked his hips slightly, just a small grind and was rewarded by a low, long groan of pleasure. Slowly he began a continuous grind into the omega, growling at feeling the walls of the other fluttering and trying to lock him in. Encouraged by the moans, Kris increased the pace of his grinding, making it become faster and harder before he began pulling back further and further, moving his pace quick and hard but never fully pulling out. 

Toa moaned loudly, each thrust making him bounce a little further back on the bed despite his attempts to hold on to the sheets and he recognised the sensation that was building in his lower regions. “Ah…Kris…. ah…ah…ugh…close!” 

“Me too,” Kris replied, his thrusts become faster and harder, “Come for me, my little one.” He grabbed hold of Tao’s penis and began pumping it in time with his thrusts. 

“Ah! Kris!” Tao yelled, the sensation becoming too much for him as he grabbed out at the alpha, “Kris!” 

The alpha thrusted harder and faster, feeling the omegas walls tighten and then felt his hips slam forward as his knot expanded to lock the pair together. Tao yelled in shock at the new sensation and came hard and fast, clamping down hard which pushed Kris over the edge. Long spurts of white covered the omega’s torso whilst his insides filled with a warmth the likes of which he had never experienced before, and the alpha’s name spilled off his lips like a continuous mantra. 

For a full minute the high lasted, before Tao flopped back onto the mattress and Kris virtually landed on top of him. Though the alpha had the sense to brace his arms at either side of the omega’s head before slowly lowering himself down in order to not crush the boy beneath him. “Rest now, little one,” Kris spoke quietly, pressing his lips to the tired Tao’s ones in a soft kiss, “I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

Tao didn’t even try to resist the urge to sleep that was pulling at him, instead wrapping his arms around Kris’s neck as his eyes closed. Kris waited for his knot to go down before gently pulling out and after making sure that Tao really was fast asleep, he quickly cleaned the pair of them up, dressed the omega in a pair of his pyjamas and tucked him in. 

“Kris, stay with him,” Yixing called through the closed door, “We’re doing okay out here by ourselves.” 

“Send me the video, you two horny rabbits,” Kris called back playfully, “Or else I’ll come and deal with you both later.” 

Shaking his head at the lack of response, Kris pulled on a clean t-shirt and some shorts before laying back down next to Tao and gently ran his fingers through the others hair. “Well, I didn’t imagine I would find one you like that. I’ve got you now, Tao, and I’ll never let you go,” placing a kiss on the boy’s forehead, he cuddled in close and rested his eyes. There would be a lot to sort out and talk about once they were awake but for now, he was content to have things be like this.   
~*~ 

Sitting on the sofa at the opposite end of the caravan, Tao stared out of the window and the gloomy rain that had decided to bestow itself upon the world since the morning. His mind was a mess of different thoughts and he couldn’t even begin to focus on any single one of them. Yixing walked across, fresh out of a shower and he flopped down in front of the youngest, “Still in shock?” 

Tao nodded his reply, pulling the blanket that had been draped around his shoulders a little closer. 

Yixing smiled softly, “It’s a lot to take in, I get that, but if you want to talk, we’re here for you.” 

Once again Tao nodded, though tiredly dropped his head to his knees and let out a sigh. Yixing couldn’t help but coo at the sight and moved closer on instinct, gently wrapping himself around the rather large cub, “Aww, baby, it’s okay. We’ll get through this together, just you wait and see.” 

Instead of responding, Tao sighed and then shifted his position so that he could cuddle tightly into Yixing and breath in his calming scent. He couldn’t remember the last time he had actually cuddled anyone; the members of his training squad were not into it and called it a sissy move. So, Tao was being as greedy as he could with taking all the cuddles that he could get, and it seemed that the three wolves he ended up with were more than happy to return them. 

Luhan smiled softly from the kitchenette, as he warmed his hands with a cup of tea and felt Kris’s presence without having to turn his head. “They’re so cute.” 

“They are indeed,” Kris replied, nuzzling Luhan’s neck ever so slightly, “I guess that he’s still reeling from everything?” 

A nod was his reply, “It’s not every day that you find out you’re an omega by going into heat, get a seriously hot alpha to take you through your first one and then find out that your another of his omegas.” Luhan chuckled softly, “It takes a bit of getting used to, I can’t imagine what it would be like being brought up as an alpha only to find out that you’re not one.” 

Wrapping his arms around Luhan’s body in a back hug, Kris smiled as he placed a loving kiss onto the others neck, “And to think I planned this holiday to be all about you and Yixing.” 

Luhan smirked back, “Well you can still make that work, you definitely owe us both.” 

“I second that!” Yixing called from where he was still hugging Tao, the cub blushing a deep scarlet before burrowing his face away. “Though I’ll take looking after this cutie-pie as good compensation!” 

“Don’t you dare get broody, Xing,” Luhan replied, shaking his head, “We don’t need any cubbies running around until there’s at least six of us to deal with them all.” 

Yixing snorted, “Still think you’re going to get pregnant first Lu.” 

“Hell no, not happening!” Luhan shot back, “I’m on the controls, I’m perfectly fine.” 

“Guys, stop talking about babies and sex, you’re embarrassing Tao,” Kris cut in with a fond smile, “Your poor cub is going to die of heat exhaustion at this rate.” 

Letting out a sound, Tao tried to hide himself further in the blanket that was now covering his head but all it really resulted in was more cooing and fussing from Luhan and Yixing. Kris hung back a little, happy to let his omegas play for a bit and secretly glad that they weren’t trying to kill or harm one another as sometimes omegas got defensive over their alphas. But thankfully they had taken well to Tao so far, which was a relief.   
Feeling his phone vibrate, Kris pulled it out of his trouser pocket to check and nearly dropped the device in shock. There on the screen, was a message from the private investigator which read, “I was able to get a trace back on the number that called you last night. The signal tower that it connected to gives me a good starter for searching, though it’s within a five mile radius but I can get to work on that. If I find out anything, I’ll send the information across to you straight way.” 

Yixing leant across Kris’s vision, having given cuddle duties over to Luhan for a bit and he blinked when he saw the message. “Do you think?” 

“Let’s just hope,” Kris replied softly, “and pray that they’re both okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what the hell did I just write? and why did I write it? I don't know, the plot bunnies keep on being seriously strange with me and they demanded that I write full on Taoris and I'm not the best at writing smut and that's probably one of the longest smut scenes I've ever written and I'm so sorry for it! Well I'm not but I've no idea if it's actually any good or not, please do tell me cause it's an area that I want to improve upon strangely enough. -hides under a blanket-
> 
> but anyway, yes, we now have a baby Tao to generally be the adorable/annoying clingy panda that we all love and don't worry. His drama bunnies aren't going to be too bad, just a little bit of angst and a couple of noses booped and we should be good to go. 
> 
> Now before you all start yelling at me about Chen and Xiumin, I do have a plan for them but you're going to have to be paitent for a bit because of how it should pan out - as long as no more bunnies come and whisk the plot away of course. 
> 
> Anyway, that's me for now. Hope you enjoyed this and see you in the next update. Which may be delayed because Camp Nano is starting tomorrow and I'm not in isolation as I'm a keyworker in a care home so I still have to go to work -thumbs up- 
> 
> love you all lots, stay safe and healthy 
> 
> Chia


	6. Chapter 6

Tao was fast asleep in the nest of blankets at the end of the caravan, seeming to have finally broken out of his heat and was able to rest properly for the first time in a while. Luhan was currently sitting next to the baby omega, letting him use his legs as a pillow whilst he drank a cup of tea and watched a cartoon series quietly on the small TV. The rain hadn’t let up at all since it had started but it provided a nice background to the scene. The pink haired omega smiled as he felt the cub shift, getting a little more comfortable before settling down and he resumed his previous unspoken task of simply running his hands through the others hair. 

Kris had been busy sorting out the bedroom from last night’s activities and had insisted on making a trip to the laundrette to get everything sorted. Yixing had found it strange at first, as normally neither omega cared if the scent of their heat cycles lingered around but then he remembered that he and Luhan they had practically been brought up as friends and knew what to expect from one another. Poor Tao had been brought up as an alpha, so being able to smell his pleasure probably wasn’t going to help his already fraying nerves. Whilst Yixing did not know much about the pack that the other had come from, he had garnered enough information from Luhan to guess that it was a terrible thing to be discovered that you were not what you were trained to be and that thought sickened him. 

Though he did cast his eyes over the other and had to admit that if last night hadn’t happened, he would have presumed that the youngster was an alpha. He looked like one, with sharp features and a grace to his movements that was brought on by years of fighting. But right now, there was a certain softness about the other, a gentleness that had to be carefully hidden and it was just adorable to behold. A giggle escaped Yixing as he watched Tao snuffle a little when Luhan slightly shifted because he was getting a dead leg and he shook his head towards his fellow omega, “He’s so fussy.” 

“He’s giving me cramps,” Luhan said, though with no real bitterness behind his words, “Plus he’s blinking heavy.” 

“Aww, wanna swap?” Yixing teased, as he was busy washing up the dishes that they had used at breakfast and lunch so they would have some available for dinner. 

Luhan snorted, “No! My snuggle time.” 

Setting aside the dishes that he was currently dealing with, Yixing let out a chuckle and glanced at the clock and blinked upon realising that it was probably a good time to be check on the youngster’s wounds. He carefully stepped around the kitchenette to get the first aid kit and a spare towel. A distant rumble of thunder caused him to look up at the ceiling and let out a sigh, “Well, I guess that we’re not going out tonight then.” 

“Nope,” Luhan said, lightly shaking Tao awake. “Hey, sleepy head, come on, it’s time to get your medicines.” 

Tao pouted and snuggled back into his blankets, “Don’t wanna.” 

“You’ll end up more sick if you don’t take them,” Yixing said as he gently prodded the giant baby in the back with his finger. “And believe me, after what you’ve been through you seriously don’t want to be sick after that.” 

Another groan escaped from the others mouth as he relented and started sitting up, rubbing at his eye like a toddler with a pout on his lips, “Sleepy.” 

Luhan laughed, unable to resist wrapping his arms around the others torso to give him a hug, “We both know that. You can go to back to sleep after your medicines and Yixing checks those wounds of yours, okay?”   
Nodding along, though whether he was that sleepy or just out of it, neither could tell, Tao obediently followed the instructions that Yixing gave him like a good little cub was supposed to do. Yixing worked quickly, replacing the bandages that needed replacing and running alcohol disinfectant across the deeper cuts before once again covering them. 

Luhan ended up having to be a supporting chair as Tao was practically falling back asleep where he sat as Yixing poured some medicine onto a spoon. Looking at the other, Yixing sighed, “Come on Tao, open up and say ahh for me.” 

Sleepy eyes half glared at him before Tao did open his mouth to take the medicine. He pulled a face which suggested just how horrible the stuff tasted before immediately turning over, wrapping himself back in the blanket that he was using and falling back asleep on top of Luhan. Who let out a huff at the weight that was added on top of him, “Yah! You’re a heavy lump! Get off!” 

Tao did not respond, instead snuggling closer and wrapping his arms tightly around Luhan. Yixing couldn’t help but giggle, “Aww, you’re his teddy bear!” 

“Shut up,” Luhan said, flicking the others forehead and he tried a couple more times to dislodge the sleeping boy but found that it was next to impossible to achieve. “Damn it! It’s a good thing you’re cute kid.” 

“Shall I get the camera?” Yixing asked, already searching through his bag for the device anyway. 

Luhan nodded, “Hell yes! We need to add to the cute photos for Kris’s collection.” 

Yixing nodded, returning to take the photographs on his polaroid camera before setting the films to the side in order to develop. It was at that moment that he happened to glance at the clock on the wall and realise that it was well after five o’clock. He turned to look at Luhan who was constantly pressing Tao’s nose with his finger whilst he slept in order to annoy him but also to capture the cute expressions that the other was making. 

“Did Kris tell you that he was going out?” 

Stopping his game for a moment, Luhan looked up, “He took the things to the laundrette. Maybe it’s full?” 

A shiver went through Yixing and he gnawed at his lip for a few seconds before turning to grab his raincoat and wellies. 

“Xing?” Luhan called, sounding worried. 

“It’ll be fine, it’s probably just full but I want to check on him,” Yixing replied, finishing tying himself up. “I’ve got my mobile on me and I’ll call when I find him. You stay and look after the baby.” 

Nodding, Luhan looked towards the weather, “Okay. But you stay safe as well, okay?” 

Smiling towards his friend, Yixing opened the door to the caravan and set off into the rainy evening. He was glad that it was still relatively light despite the greyness of the evening as it made navigating around the site a little easier. Though with him being a mated omega, it wasn’t that hard to track his alphas scent and from the intermittent spikes that were coursing through the air, it was a hell of a lot easier to find him. 

The laundrette was nothing more than a concrete building with everything build indoors and it also housed a set of toilets around the back. This camp was designed to be as back to basics as possible and it was one of the reasons why Kris had chosen it. The light was inside the laundrette, the big tumble dryers in the process of spinning around with clothes but no one was in keeping an eye on the machines. 

Because there was a fight going on outside. 

Kris was standing his ground in the middle of what could be best described as a mud bath, splattered with the dark substance and clearly soaked through to the skin. Three alphas, all dressed in the same matching training gi of dark blue with red panels were sprawled on the floor, groaning faintly or not even moving in the slightest. Yixing knew that none of the trio were dead but they had clearly not expected to be taken out so easily. 

Two other alphas stood nearby, one similarly dressed to the way the ones on the floor had been and he was sporting a black eye, in addition to being completely covered in mud as well. He was standing not too far away from Kris, almost as if he had come to a stop in the middle of the fight. His head was down and there was the slightest of shivers to his frame. The other alpha radiated a power that would have normally had Yixing cowering in fear as he was clearly an elder with long greying hair and a stern expression. He wore a black gi and a hakama with the red panels and a red choker. He looked pissed off to high hell and strode forward with a purpose. 

Mistaking his intension, Yixing rushed forward with a cry that was cut short by Kris turning to pull the omega close to his side and also by the elder alpha landing a heavy handed blow on the back of the other alphas head. The boy fell to the ground with a shocked sound. “Silence,” the elder commanded, glaring down at the boy, “I shall deal with you later, Bajoo.” 

The younger alpha, Bajoo, cowered and hid his face in a submissive stance. The elder snorted and turned to look at Kris, his eyes still anger filled but with a certain level of respect behind them. Kris returned the look but made sure to push Yixing just a little further behind himself. “They attacked me first,” Kris stated, his voice level and calm. 

“I’ve no doubt,” the elder replied, casting his eyes around, “Though I’m impressed you managed to take three of them down so well.” 

Kris smirked slightly, “I’ve been fighting other alphas my whole life.” 

“Hmm,” the elder replied, seeming to glance at Yixing before turning his eyes back to Kris, “Though I’m curious to know why they got in a fight with you. We usually don’t mix with other packs business.” 

Kris eyes darkened, “They insulted one of my omegas and wouldn’t back off when I told them to.” 

The elder raised his eye brown in question, “One of your omegas?” 

“Yes,” Kris said. 

The elder blinked and turned to look at Bajoo, “Who did you insult?” 

Bajoo glared back at Kris, the venom in his voice visible before he even spoke, “That traitor Zitao.” 

Shock came off the elder at hearing that and he turned back towards Kris, “You have taken Zitao as one of your own?” 

“Because he is mine to claim,” Kris stated, pulling away the shirt sleeve on his right arm to show the five marks that were present. Two were still faded but the alpha could tell with the way that the elder’s eyes moved to the newest addition that he already knew it well. “Tao is my omega, just like Yixing here and my other mate who is safely back at the caravan right now. Your boys insulted him, called him vile names and wouldn’t retract their statements when I challenged them too.” 

The elder looked once again to Bajoo, “Why did you not retract the statements?” 

“Because Zitao is a worthless omega who passed himself off as an alpha,” Bajoo replied, “He has yet to serve his punishment properly, Elder.” 

Yixing raised his head suddenly, “You’re the one who attacked him?” 

Bajoo turned to glare at Yixing, “Shut your mouth, weakling, this is alpha talk.” 

The elder slapped the younger harshly around the face with his stick, then promptly hit him again when the other cried out in protest. He turned back to look at the omega, “What do you mean by that?”

However, it was Kris who answered, “Tao arrived outside my caravan last night, clearly in the throes of heat but he had been attacked. His clothes were torn, there were claw and bite marks on him and someone had tried to violate him against his will.” Kris’s anger was pouring off him now and for once Yixing stayed back, realising that now would be a very good time for the prick of a smaller alpha to get a good thrashing for what he did to their baby. “I took him in to give him aid and have my two omegas help him but with his heat still apparent I was able to help him and confirm him as one of my mates. He was still heavily injured however and clearly reeling from the shock of finding out about his true nature.” 

Bajoo sneered, “He was always a whiny wimp, he should have never trained with us.” 

Another sharp blow came from the stick to Bajoo’s face, “Cut with your anger and jealousy over the matter. Zitao did not belong to you, his mark would have shown far sooner had it been that way.” The elder smirked at the shocked look that came from the younger, “Oh, I knew that Zitao was an omega. I knew it the moment that he was born, because all fathers know their cub’s intimately. Yes, Bajoo, Tao is my son. My youngest and most precious baby. I trained him with the alphas to protect him for the outside world, as his fortune said that he would leave the pack to join with his alpha, so he needed to be strong and able to withstand the world.” 

Pure anger was now radiating off the elder, “Now, I learn that you attacked him in his most dire of needs?” 

Bajoo looked a mixture of terrified and confused, “How the fuck was I supposed to know he was an omega? He just broke into heat and drove us all insane!” 

Kris turned to pull Yixing into a protective embrace as the elder laid into the younger Bajoo, protecting his omega from the sights and sounds. In a way he was a little annoyed that he couldn’t personally deliver the punishment himself but there was definitely some justice in the fact that it was Tao’s father who was doing so. Yixing held himself small and tight to his alpha’s chest, knowing instinctively to close his eyes whilst his alpha covered his ears. He began humming a random little tune to himself, some pop song that he found to be relaxing and soothing and he could virtually feel the smile that Kris was giving to him. 

After a few minutes, Kris lent his head down to press a kiss on the top of Yixing’s head and the omega looked up with a mixture of expressions. “It’s okay,” Kris replied, “Let’s head back to the others now.” 

Yixing nodded, and then glanced towards the laundrette, “What about?” 

“I’ve got it,” the elder said, appearing with the basket of laundry which was covered by a plastic sheet. “I’ll accompany the pair of you back. I’m sure Tao will be in need of seeing you now, but I would like to talk with my son.” 

Kris bowed his head, “As long as he’s well enough. He was sleeping when I left him with my other two omegas.” 

A fond smile crossed the elder’s face, as he glanced up at the sky. “Oh, he’ll be awake and in need of an alpha by the time we get back.” A deep rumble of thunder happened right above them just at that moment, followed shortly after by a flash of lightening. “He’s rather scared of thunderstorms.” 

“Oh great, another one,” Kris murmured, shaking his head as he increased his grip on Yixing’s hand and started to hurry towards the caravan, having the feeling that the elder would keep up. 

Reaching the caravan just as another crash of thunder happened overhead, Kris was quick to open the door and ushered in Yixing and the Elder, who they had learnt quickly was called Zijun. The omega was quick to remove his rain soaked things and haphazardly throw them to the side before he scurried to the makeshift nest. Neither Luhan or Tao were in sight which clearly worried the Elder for a moment or two as he scanned around. He sniffed the air in concern and worry but Kris just shook his head and grinned at the old man. 

“Don’t worry, he’s safe,” Kris said, before pointing to the nest of blankets, though specifically at the underneath section. Yixing was already on his hands and knees on the floor next to it, making some cute little cooing sounds and it took Zijun a moment or two to figure out what was going on exactly. Until a pale arm reached out to the omega and Yixing giggled as he slipped under the space. The Elder blinked and then chuckled upon hearing the familiar whimpers of his son, along with those of another omega and the gentle teasing/reassurances coming from Yixing. Setting the basket down on the side, he bent down to peer underneath and thanks to the flash of a phone to take a rather embarrassing selfie, he was able to see the three omegas curled up protectively in the space. Quite how they were managing was something that the elder wasn’t going to question as he smiled with fondness before righting himself. 

“Do your omegas always do that during a storm?” Zijun asked. 

Kris shook his head, “Only Luhan, he has bad memories of storms and always tries to hide away from them. Generally, he prefers to be alone, but he’s taken a real shine to your Tao it appears.” 

“That I am glad for,” Zijun replied, “I would hate to think that he was in a family that would not welcome him.” 

Kris turned his head, raising an eyebrow up towards the other but the elder shook his head, “No doubt you know of my pack, of our strict standards and ways of raising our young.” He waited for the other alpha to acknowledge that before continuing on, “Many wouldn’t have liked the fact that he’s been brought up in such a manner and I’ve heard stories that some try to beat our teachings out of those who leave for a variety of reasons.” 

“Seems one of your own did that without thinking of the consequences,” Kris stated, still a little sore and annoyed at the reaction of his friend. 

Zijun let out a long sigh, “Bajoo has been brought up as an alpha, was taught to respect all who he came into contact with and that strength doesn’t always have to be physical but he is a prideful alpha, one who has been spoilt by others and unfortunately being the head alpha’s son has given him a lot of sway over the others because no one dares to hurt him or reprimand him.” 

“Except you?” Kris asked, turning as the kettle finished boiling to begin pouring some more green tea into a couple of cups. 

“His father asked me to make him more understanding, or at least knock some sense into him,” Bajoo replied, shaking his head and smiling fondly when he heard the squeals from under the blanket fort as more thunder rolled overhead. “I had hoped that forming a friendship with Tao would help him understand, but apparently not. That’s the trouble with some of the young these days, they just don’t want to listen to their elders or even try to understand how we’re supposed to work.” 

Kris blinked, staring at the old man, “Why didn’t he try to protect Tao? It’s always been instinctual with me to protect omegas. I wouldn’t hurt one even if they attacked me first.” 

Zijun sighed, “Prideful alphas don’t like having things change on them suddenly. The two were friends, teammates, captains together. Bajoo clearly couldn’t hope with the suddenness of finding an omega going in heat and did what he thought was correct.” 

“Attacking his friend when he needed him the most?” Kris snorted, “Forgive me for being rude but you need to thrash him more when you get back to him.” 

A nod came from Zijun, “I will, but his father will unfortunately forgive him. The curse of youth is also their biggest defence.” 

“Youth?” Kris asked. 

“Bajoo turns fifteen in a month,” Zijun said softly, just as Kris started to take a drink of his green tea, “My Zitao is only a year older than him.” 

Spitting out his tea all over the tabletop, Kris turned to Zijun, “What?” 

Looking up at Kris, Zijun blinked, “Tao is fifteen, he turns sixteen in May.” 

All the colour drained from Kris’s face, “Please tell me your lying, he’s got to be older than that.” 

For a few seconds, Zijun looked confused and then realisation shone in his eyes, “I’m afraid not.” 

Hiding his face in his hands for a few seconds, Kris tried to control his panic that must have been rolling off him in waves because Yixing pulled himself out from underneath and hurried over to his alpha. “What’s wrong?” he asked, sounding very concerned right now. 

Kris gulped, “Tao’s fifteen.” 

“What?” Yixing nearly shrieked, looking just as confused and then worried as his alpha. “You’ve got to be kidding! I mean, we know he’s young but…no way…not that young.” 

Zijun cleared his throat, “I’m afraid he is.” 

“Shit,” Kris sank back against the countertop, looking devastated. 

The elder frowned, “What’s the problem?” 

Yixing turned to look at the elder, “He’s a minor, he’s underage! Kris can get into a hell of a lot of trouble for doing something like what he’s done!” 

Zijun caught hold of Kris’s arm and pulled it back to reveal the mating mark, “Tao is Kris’s, no matter what age he got to meet him.”   
“In the city, there are laws,” Yixing said, “Tao is a minor! He’s not supposed to be mated yet! Hell, he’s technically not supposed to have experienced sex yet! If we go back and the authorities find out they’ll lock Kris up for it and probably put us all in a specialist medical centre if we’re lucky.” 

Shaking his head, Zijun sighed, “They can’t if he’s destined to be Kris’s mate.” 

“That won’t matter!” Yixing was nearly screaming now, clearly worried for his alpha and it was adorable in Zijun’s eyes. “I don’t want to lose Kris! He’s my world!” 

Zijun sighed and lent across to lightly pat Yixing’s head, “I know you don’t, and you won’t lose him. Whilst there are laws against this sort of thing happening, there are also laws that protects mates and those who are younger when they happen to find their destined ones. Kris and Tao are marked, identically and in the same place. That shows that they are mates and with testimony from you and Luhan, as well as myself, the authorities will not be able to do anything to you despite the fact that he is underage.” 

“Testimony?” Yixing asked, sounding very small and lost right now. 

Zijun nodded, “Yes. There is a legal process for recognising underage mates, which can be called upon for situations like these. It’s probably going to be a little long and require a lot of paperwork, as well as some unpleasantries but it will not result in anyone getting locked up.” 

“How can you be sure?” Kris asked, looking pale though thankfully not as much as he had done a moment or two ago. 

“Whilst we appear to be mainly a wild pack with strange customs, we do in fact live in the city and I’ve helped several couples who went through something similar,” Zijun smiled, “Including two fifteen year olds. Who are both doing well and living together as a very strong mated couple now. It’s not pretty, it will get embarrassing and pretty invasive for a few weeks, but I promise you, that once all is said and done, it will ensure that no one can try to take Tao away from you.” 

“Baba?” Tao asked, having crawled out of the space at long last, looking a little on the worried side. 

Zijun smiled softly, “Ah, there’s my baby panda, well no longer a baby. Come here, it’s okay.” Zijun pulled Tao into a hug and held him tight, able to just feel the protective alpha hormones coming off Kris despite the fact that the other was still reeling from everything. That was a good sign in his opinion. Though he pulled back a little quicker just because of it. “You’re going to be okay, Tao, I think you’ve finally found where you belong.” 

Tao looked lost for words, “But Baba…I don’t…” 

“Shush now, it’s fine,” Zijun said, brushing the strands of dark hair out of his sons face, “You weren’t meant to stay with us, you’re meant to go into another pack, and you’ve found it. Not in the way I wanted, but you’ve found it and from the death glare your alpha is giving me, I suggest you go to him and don’t worry anymore.” 

Zitao shook his head, “But what about…” 

“Forget about all of it,” Zijun said, “I’ll speak to our Head Alpha and we’ll get things sorted for you. You won’t lose contact with us, that I can promise you. You can become who you want to be now, Tao, not what the pack wants, and your Mama always wanted that for you.”

Ducking his head, Zitao tried to hold back the tears, “I don’t understand.” 

“You won’t, not for a while,” Zijun said, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “But one day you will. Now, stay here, stay safe and I promise you, things will work out for the best.” 

The elder stepped back at that point and a bout of fear ran through Tao’s heart and mind which made him automatically reach for his father. An instinctual cub reaction that he couldn’t not follow but it was dispelled almost immediately by another touch on his elbow. Specifically, Kris’s touch which quickly turned into a full embrace that had his heart calming down in a matter of seconds. He wrapped himself tightly around Kris, feeling nothing but security, warmth, love and affection as well as a wave of protectiveness that was clouded by worry and fear. 

Zijun smiled, “That’s how you do it. I’ll be back at some point with the forms to start everything, but for now, try and rest easy.” 

A big boom of thunder went off just as Zijun opened the door, causing Zitao to curl up tighter in Kris’s arms and a very loud whimper to come from Luhan who was still hiding under the blankets. 

Yixing threw his arms up into the air, “Kris, take Tao and go on Luhan cuddle duty with him, I’ll get something made for tea for all of us.” 

Nodding, Kris glanced one last time at Zijun before ducking under the blankets to pull the whimpering Luhan into his arms along with Tao. It was a very tight fit and Yixing sighed, then grinned wickedly as he hunkered down with his camera, “You three are just too goddamn cute, you know that?” 

Zijun chuckled as he left, making sure to close the door behind him. Whilst there was part of him that naturally worried about his son as it was always going to happen, he found that it was a little easier to breath. Tao had found a good alpha who would take care of him, despite all the craziness that their relationship was liable to throw up. That made his heart settle down, now all he had to do was to get the complicated forms to get everything registered. The sooner, the better. 

~*~

The entertainment centre was primarily aimed at cubs between the age of one to about ten, with a few older activities that could generally be enjoyed by the whole family, including a large swimming pool with a variety of slides and then the disco area/nightclub which generally wasn’t being used at the moment. The rain had been virtually none stop the entire week and consequently had driven away most of the visitors and the other wolf packs that were staying over. The storms had stopped too after the first day, but the rain had yet to let up. 

Kris wasn’t overly keen on returning to the city until after their holidays and Luhan and Yixing agreed because at least by then, Zijun would have the paperwork started and hopefully there would be an e-mail which they could use as proof that everything was going through the system. Tao had been rather stressed about everything, his whole world was literally being ripped apart and he blamed himself for being so idiotic but Kris wouldn’t allow it to get to his youngest omega too much and wrapped him in kisses and cuddles as often as he could. 

Which in turn made the alpha feel guilty for neglecting his two other omegas, so any chance he got he would shower them both with affection and love. 

Luhan got annoyed at the extra attention, though he still preened under it and would make the biggest fuss over it but had learnt to accept it. He still wasn’t jealous in the slightest of Tao, or his puppy as he kept calling him and was more inclined to steal the puppy away from the big bad wolf in order to fuss over him or play or just distract him from the world in some form or other. 

Yixing found it adorable but did not mind the extra attention, because whilst he wasn’t exactly jealous of Tao, it was taking him a little longer than what he thought it would to get used to the idea of there being an additional omega around. With Luhan it had been no problem, but there again they had been friends before, and the pair had been able to talk lots before basically dragging Luhan into their relationship. Tao had landed on them unexpectedly and whilst he adored the baby panda, he did miss some of the exclusive attentions at times. It was just an adjustment phase, he had repeatedly said and they would probably all have to go through it at some point, if not several times over because with the number of omegas in the pack, it was an idiot who thought that they would just find each other and slot into place easily. 

The first omega was just glad that they could all talk openly about these subjects and work things out together, as a family should do. Granted it was mainly for Tao’s benefit, since the baby really was having to learn everything and some of the time, he was fine, but others it was clear that he was just really confused and out of it. 

So when the staff had knocked on the door early on the Friday morning, with a whole bunch of tokens for the entertainment centre as an incentive for it to be actually used completely for free, Kris hadn’t even questioned why they were getting them. He had thanked the staff however and taken the burden off them before taking a moment to pack up his boys swimming togs and woke them up. Tao’s clothes and items had been moved into their caravan the day before his pack left and whilst it was just beyond the basics, it was enough to get them through the rest of the week. 

The omegas had already scheduled a shopping day when they got back to the city and Kris was sure that it was going to cost him a fortune but he would never give up on a chance to spoil any one of his omegas given half the chance to do so. 

He just wished that he could add Xiumin and Chen to the list, but there had been no reports back as of, yet which meant that he just had to keep on hoping and praying. 

Now that the quartet were in the Leisure Centre, it was clear that they virtually had the run of the place to themselves. At first it had been a little on the unnerving side but after a few minutes, it became its own adventure. There was literally no one else in the building, except a single member of staff who was there to cook them food should they want it. But Kris could see how bored and tired the guy was, so opted instead to tell him to go back to wherever it was and that they would order take out and have it delivered. There was a descent chippy around the corner that new the site well anyway, so it wasn’t like there were going to be any problems with getting food. 

Yixing had immediately raced to the sound system to change the music to something far more of their tastes, whilst Luhan dragged Tao towards the pool area determined to get full access to all the slides and inflatables that adults usually weren’t allowed. For the first few minutes Tao looked to be rather concerned over the mental health of the older omega but as soon as he hit the water with an inflatable ball he turned into a playful cub within seconds. 

Kris joined in the fun too, along with Yixing and they spent a good half hour just rushing around the water, dunking one another, throwing the inflatables around or else just doing everything that they were normally not allowed to do. The pool area was filled with laughter and yells for a good while before Luhan slipped and banged his head and was forced to sit down for a bit. Yixing dared Tao to go on the highest slide and the pair were off before Kris could even think to chase after them. 

Luhan smiled, “Let the cub have his fun, heaven know he needs it.” 

Kris frowned playfully towards the other, “Which one are you referring to?” 

“Both of them,” Luhan smiled back towards his alpha, “They need some bonding time. They’re still getting used to one another.”   
The alpha raised his eyebrows, “Honestly, I thought it would have been more you who would have taken the time to get used to another omega being around.” 

Luhan chuckled, “You forget, I was the other omega. Even with our friendship before, it took a bit of getting used to. But this time, Yixing is having to welcome someone completely new into his relationship with his alpha.” 

Kris blinked and glanced towards the happy sounding squeals that were coming from the pair as they went down the slides. He grinned, “Well, hopefully by the end of today they’ll be sorted.” 

Luhan nodded and leaned back on the lounge chair he was on, “Yeah, they’ll be fine. Though, come here.” 

Grinning, Kris knelt next to Luhan and leaned down to press a kiss to the other lips. It did not take much for it to turn just a little more passionate as Luhan pressed his tongue onto the alpha’s lips, but their fun was quickly spoilt by a sudden splash of water from the pool. 

Matching glares were sent towards the two omegas in the water before Luhan sighed, “Go get ‘em.” 

Yixing pushed a clueless looking Tao towards Kris as he quickly took off into the water with a yell and Luhan couldn’t help but laugh aloud at the antics of his family. He settled back onto the lounger and let out a content sigh, “Best holiday ever.”


	7. Chapter 7

Kneeling back on his haunches with a very satisfied smile, Luhan let out a long breath before shaking his head. “There, all done!” Looking around the room which up until a week ago had been nothing short of a very plain and boring place, the omega felt immensely proud of his work. The walls were painted a dark blue, almost purple colour and the carpet was a dark cream to offset the sharpness. A large bed with a metal frame was in the further corner, next to it a bedside cabinet and a night light which had been found on a shopping trip. Under the window was a new desk, with a comfortable study chair and a series of cube bookshelves were set in place. A few essential study books were already on the shelves as well as a couple of anime figurines which had been dug up from various shops.

The room was finished off with a white stand alone wardrobe and on the walls were a couple of marvel posters, a few idol groups pictures and some family photographs from their holiday with the unspoken promise of more once everything was a little bit more established.

It was a room that was designed for a teenager to be happy in but left enough room for personalisation once Tao was more settled within himself. A big, stupid grin crossed Luhan’s face at the thought that finally Tao was getting to come home with them, to where he rightfully belonged, and no one would be able to take him away ever again.

Not that Tao had strictly speaking been taken away from them, but it had been a long three months waiting for the final verdict on whether or not he could safely live with them. The legal paperwork for Tao being a minor had been a nightmare and Kris had been reduced to an absolute horrible state after a meeting in which he had basically been accused of being a paedophile and a child molester. The Alpha had been destroyed mentally for the rest of the night after that and it had taken both Yixing and Luhan the better part of three hours to even get him to open the door to the room that he had locked himself away in. Neither omega was used to seeing their alpha so distraught and for a while they did not know what to do in the slightest. In the end they had both just remained with their alpha, hugging him and kissing him and giving him all the comfort that they could give him.

The next day when a different social worker visited them, both lodged complaints against the one who had spoken to Kris in such a vile manner and thankfully things had been taken further. The team that worked with them after that were a million times nicer and far more understanding of their situation. Kris received a formal apology and compensation too, but they still weren’t allowed to have Tao live with them for a further two and a half months. Apparently, it was something that legally they had to go through, to ensure that Tao hadn’t been forced into mating against his will and that the bond would not be broken needlessly.

Tao was the one to take it the toughest, his mind and body wanted his alpha and initially couldn’t stand being away from Kris and the others for long. He became whiny, extremely clingy and refused to let go when their allotted meetings were up and on more than one occasion had to be sedated for his own safety. Kris was just as bad, though a hell of a lot more restrained because he was more mature, and he hated seeing one of his omegas in such distress. In fact, for the second month of Tao being in the safe house, Kris didn’t visit him because he just didn’t want to cause unnecessary stress on the youngster though Luhan and Yixing filled in for that void whenever they could.

Tao hated it all, even though he understood why it had to happen and their joint social worker team were determined to get through the process as fast as possible. The last week had been the most thrilling as Tao had been allowed to stop in the house with supervision overnight and since everything had gone perfectly fine, everything was set for today being the day that Tao would come home with them permanently. There would be check ups of course but the social worker had advised that it was just a formality and that as long as everything continued to go well, then he would probably never come to darken their doors again.

Luhan had been thrilled and had booked the week off as soon as he heard, then woken up extra early in order to get Tao’s room fully set up. Whilst he knew that Kris and Yixing wanted to help, Luhan just couldn’t contain his excitement in the slightest. Plus, Kris had to go his internship and was then going to pick Tao up from his school and Yixing was going to be charge of cooking a huge feast for them, so it made sense for him to fix up the room.

A cough came from the doorway, “You do realise that you’re going to have like, nothing to do for the next eight hours until he comes home, right?” Yixing grinned towards his fellow omega as he leaned up against the doorframe.

Luhan shrugged, “Oh there’s plenty for me to do. I just couldn’t sleep, and I wanted this place all set up for him.”

“You sound like some doting mother hen getting her baby back,” Yixing chuckled with a fond grin.

“Says the man whose cooking all his favourite dishes for his baby,” Luhan shot back, sticking his tongue out towards the other.

Yixing pouted, “Well, he wants some good food after all that junk, he’s eaten at the safe house.”

“Just admit that you’re spoiling him, Yixing,” Luhan chuckled, “Cause hell, I’m spoiling him too!”

The other sighed and chuckled, “All right, we’re spoiling him, but we’ve got a good reason too.”

“Indeed,” Luhan laughed, “Though I really hope that the rest of us aren’t all babies like him, not going through this shit again.”

“Agreed,” Yixing replied instantly with a smile before glancing up at the clock, and blinking. “Hey, did you hear Kris get up this morning?”

Luhan paused and thought back before glancing at the clock nearest to him. It was five pasts seven in the morning and normally Kris was just leaving. “No…you best check on him, make sure that he’s not…oh Benben!”

There came a heavy clattering of big feet on the stairs and Kris paused just long enough to plant a kiss on the side of each of their heads before throwing on a jacket and racing out of the door. He didn’t even take his lunch with him and Luhan sighed aloud, “Oh honestly, that big dumb alpha.”

“It’s okay, I can drop it off later,” Yixing replied with a smile.

“You’re cooking all day, Xing,” Luhan replied, wrapping his arms around the other and nestling his chin on the others shoulder, “Remember? No dance class teaching for you today.”

Yixing blinked, “Oh yeah…Oopse.”

Tapping the other head with his hand, Luhan shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh, “I’ll drop off our idiots’ lunch when I go food shopping in a bit. Might as well get some extra treats in cause heaven knows we’re going to need it.”

The other omega grinned, “Yes, need to get some fat on our alphas bones again. He’s been so stressed that he’s becoming bony.”

Luhan nodded and glanced back at the room he had just finished setting up. He frowned a little, “Is it me or is there something missing?”

For a second Yixing stared at the room, looking at all the carefully chosen items and thought that it was an extremely well put together room that anyone would be extremely happy to have. But he did have to admit that there was something missing from it. He frowned and then snapped his fingers together, “I know what it is!”

Luhan turned as he watched the other rushed off down the stairs towards their alphas room. The house that they had been able to get was certainly above what they could have afforded with their starter pay but thanks to some inheritance money that had come to their Alpha, it had been a stroke of luck. The house was in a nice residential area, with a nature reserve only half an hour away and a general sense of freedom from the tight confines of the city. It had two stories to it, with a large open plan living and dining room, a large downstairs study and a large master bedroom with sliding doors out onto the garden. Kris had been given the room without much argument as there were four bedrooms upstairs, including a bathroom and it had worked. Luhan had the first bedroom on the left from the stairs, whilst Yixing took the one on the farthest right as it had a small Juliet balcony and Luhan said that the first mate should get a little something extra. Tao’s room was the first on the right from the stairs and there was a spare room should they be lucky enough to encounter another of Kris’s destined omegas. Or if they had guests staying over. Though it would more than likely be the case of the latter if Luhan was honest with himself.

Socked feet brought Luhan back to the moment and he grinned upon seeing Yixing returning to the top of the stairs with his hands full with a big brown bag. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter, “Oh my god, seriously?”

“He did spend an hour and a half winning all of them for Tao!” Yixing chirped happily as he brushed past the other and into Tao’s room, “I’m pretty sure that on the nights when he’s slept alone Kris has been hugging these to death.” Emptying the bag on to the floor, it was still funny to see just how many plushi’s fell out of it. There had to be at least twenty five if not more and it had all been thanks for the staff at the caravan park that they had been able to get them. In the amusement arcade there had been a bunch of claw machines and Tao just kept on falling in love with the different plushies held within and Kris couldn’t resist winning as many as he could. Thankfully, the staff had realised the small fortune that would have been spent and slipped them a bag of winner coins which meant that the toys were much easier to get.

Luhan laughed at remembering the frustration on Kris’s face as he tried to win because even with the help of the coins, it was still only everyone in five times that actually won and it had been so cute. Especially when Yixing had proved to be so much better at the game and collected his own plushi’s. Luhan wasn’t that fussed and had opted for the candy machine more than anything else but had eventually conceded and won a fluffy toy for himself. Tao had taken the biscuit with the amount he had won however and getting them home in the car had almost been an impossibility, but they had managed.

Now it was just a case of where to put them all and Luhan sighed, “Well, let’s hope he looks after all these properly and doesn’t just let them sit there doing nothing.”

Yixing rolled his eyes, “They’re his babies, they all had names remember?”

“Oh yeah,” Luhan said, shaking his head as he placed one on the bed, “Man, why did we have to get an adorable rival?”

Yixing just laughed and placed some more of the plushi’s on the windowsill, as it was true. Tao was just adorable and even though technically he was a rival to the two omegas, he was also family and they couldn’t wait for him to be home.”

~*~

“Gege?” Tao asked in a surprised voice as he stepped out of the school gates, prepared to face another drive back to eh safehouse with the social worker he had been assigned. It wasn’t that the other man wasn’t pleasant, he was actually really nice and did everything he could to try and make this horrible situation a whole lot easier. Tao was just frustrated and tired of being away from Kris, he wanted his alpha, his Gege to calm and comfort him and he wanted to be around Luhan and Yixing. Get to know them better and have them help him understand all this strangeness of being an omega. He was still adjusting to the world and he felt safest with those three around him.

He had made friends at his new school, ones who didn’t seem to care that he was an omega with a mark on his neck. In fact, they were more curious about the whole scenario and whilst Tao was a bit reluctant to talk about everything, he was glad to discover that he was not alone in not really knowing anything about being what he was supposed to be. He supposed that city wolves grew up differently and didn’t really worry about pack status and rank, in fact most of them found it to be a strange notion but there were a few others who got it and tried to help out as best as they could.

The interactions, though fun, still didn’t fill the empty feeling in his heart however and over the last few weeks he had craved the visiting times he got with Kris, Yixing and Luhan just as much as he began to hate them. He never wanted the meetings to end, he never wanted to leave his new family and he hated being so weak and needy at those times. It had felt like heaven when he had spent the night the other week, even with the presence of the social worker, but in the morning he had been in a hell that would have been the breaking of him had Kris not been allowed to take him to school.

Tao hadn’t been given anymore visit dates since that night and even though he was allowed to speak to the others anytime he wanted via messaging and video calls, he was beginning to feel incredibly uneasy the longer this separation was drawn out.

He double blinked as Kris looked up, smiling directly at him from the hood of his car and Tao found himself immediately looking around for the social worker. Kris chuckled, extending his arms out to the other, “Come here, you.”

Tao needed no second bidding and virtually leapt into the alpha’s arms, wrapping himself tightly around the man in front of him to drink in that warm familiar scent and just be with Kris. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, but this felt so good, so natural, so utterly perfect that it brought tears to the omega’s eyes. He felt Kris smiling that bright, adorable, gummy smile at him, felt those large hands wrapping tightly around his waist and into his dark hair, scratching at the scalp in a calming manner before soft lips pressed kisses to the top of his head. Tao purred under the attention, not caring in the slightest if anyone was watching them right now as he couldn’t help but feel like he was the most loved and protected omega in the entire world.

Kris’s hand moved down from his hair to his neck, pulling the omega just a little closer into the hold they were currently sharing, and his smile had not faded in the slightest. “Ready to come home, little one?”

Tao’s dark eyes opened, and he pulled back to look at the alpha with an easy to read expression, “Home?”

Kris nodded, “Yep.”

“As in…” Tao started, gulping hurriedly, “To your house?”

“Our house,” Kris corrected with a smile.

“And I don’t…” clearly the information was taking a while to process, “You mean, I can stay? With you? With Luhan? With Yixing?”

Kris nodded, “Yes, you can come home now Tao and be with us, always.”

“No more safehouse?” Tao asked, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.

Kris nodded again, brining both his hands up to cup the side of Tao’s face, “No more safehouse.”

“No more social worker?” Tao sounded way too excited for that.

“A few welfare visits but we’ll pass those easily,” Kris brushed the topic off quickly, trying to keep his own excitement levels down as Tao’s were really becoming toxic and contagious. “But regardless, you’re coming home, to be with me and the others.”

“Gege!” Tao yelled, throwing himself once again at Kris despite already being in his arms, with enough force behind it to cause the alpha to slightly rock off to one side but thankfully he was able to catch hold of the pair of them before they ended up sprawled on the floor. Kris wouldn’t have cared in the slightest as all his attention was focused purely on Tao in that moment, sharing his joy and relief even as he cried like a baby in his arms. To be honest, the alpha had tears rolling down his cheeks too at the thought of finally being able to take his youngest omega home where he could keep him safe and sounds and pamper the living hell out of him without having to worry that someone would deem it inappropriate behaviour.

Sure, there would probably be times when someone in the house would get pissed off at the attention someone else was receiving but that was something that they all had to work on together as a family. As a pack and Kris loved the fact that his pack was growing. Sure, it was small steps and there was still a long way to go till everyone was in place, but it was an adventure that he was enjoying, even with all of the nasty bumps in the road. Hugging Tao tightly, he pressed several more kisses to the top of the boys head and then lifted his chin up, “Come on, you’re going to have all your classmates asking you tons of questions if you keep that up.”

Tao sniffed and rubbed at his eyes, not caring for his uniform as he didn’t need to wear it tomorrow given that it was a Saturday, “But Gege! I’m just so happy.”

“I know, we’re all so happy,” Kris replied, giving the omega a cute little kiss to the tip of his nose, “It’s been so hard not being able to say anything the last day or two.”

A little bit of irritation flared up in Tao’s chest at the thought that his alpha knew before he did but then he figured that if he had been told a couple of days ago that he didn’t need to stay in the safehouse any longer then there wouldn’t have been a chance that he would have stayed there in the slightest. There had probably been some final bits of paperwork to sort out before everything could be finalised, so he was quick to push it to one side. “Take me home,” Tao said, still hiccupping, “I want to go home, Gege!”

“Your wish is my command,” Kris said, pushing back just a little so that he could open the car door for Tao and get him settled in before hopping around to the driver’s seat. Tao did not question anything that the alpha did, noting that Kris didn’t even head towards the safehouse so presumable had already collected his things before hand and they were going straight home. A slight shyness overcame Tao as he reached out to hold Kris’s hand every time they stopped at a red light or a junction, but Kris just beamed at him and squeezed his hand back.

It still felt surreal, like all of his dreams were coming true all in one go and Tao didn’t know which emotion felt better.

Even when they pulled up at the house, at their home, Tao just sat there and stared at the place with all the wonder of a child. He couldn’t believe it, that finally he would be allowed to live here, that this was his home, that his family would be around him constantly and one day he could potentially have his own children running around with Kris standing there as proud as punch and loving each and every one of them.

Fingers ran down his cheek and he turned to look at Kris who was kneeling next to his side at the open door. Tao smiled brightly and once again flung himself into the alpha’s arms, only this time with his mouth pressed firmly against those lips he had been craving to kiss. Embarrassingly more tears began to fall from his eyes as he pulled back to get some air but found himself instead being embraced by two more pairs of arms and receiving hundreds of kisses from the two omegas as well.

Tao began to laugh, whilst still crying because he had never felt this good in his entire life. If this was how the world was supposed to be for him, then he was definitely glad to be home. It was half an hour later that they good off the drive way and headed inside, Luhan dragging Tao straight up the stairs to show off his new bedroom whilst Yixing went to check on the food that he had cooked and Kris set about sorting out the table.

Merry squeals soon filled the house as Tao came downstairs with at least three plushi’s in his arms and more cuddles came about because of it. Along with pictures, tears, food, spillages and a general chaos that was definitely caused by the youngest omega’s euphoria passing around to everyone.

However it all abruptly stopped at eight o’clock when Tao, who had been playing chase with Yixing and Luhan for chocolate, had finally stopped to sit down on the sofa for just a second to catch his breath before promptly crashing and passed out heavily. “Aww, the baby finally wore himself out,” Yixing chuckled, after biting a piece of chocolate straight out of Luhan’s hands which he was playfully swatted for. “Take him to bed, Kris, he looks like he could do with the rest.”

“So, could you!” Luhan replied, stepping out of Yixing’s way in order to keep his chocolate safe, “You’re starting to get the same cute eyebags as him.”

Kris rolled his eyes as he bent down to pick the youngster up and cradled him softly to his chest, “I guess you two will be joining once you’ve tided up?”

“Of course,” Luhan called, as he tried to protect his chocolate from Yixing which was resulting in them both wrestling playfully on the floor like cubs, “Just give me a moment to win.”

“But it’s my chocolate!” Yixing whined, beginning to tickle Luhan’s side, “Give it back!”

Shaking his head, Kris glanced down at Tao before heading to his bedroom to settle the youngster down. It felt so nice being able to take Tao to bed with him and it wasn’t much later that the other two omegas joined him in one big pile of happy warmth, love and affection. The alpha in Kris preened happily and he let out a soft content growl as he tried his best to cuddle all of his omegas to his chest at the same time. It was next to impossible, but he still wanted to feel a little bit of each one of his precious omegas that night. Just to be able to hug them, hold them and let them know that they were all equally loved and treasured.

He was being sappy, but he honestly did not care. The loves of his life were with him, were safe and sound and that made him feel more like an alpha than anything had ever done before.

True there were still many missing and he could only hope and pray that they were doing okay, that they would find their way to him or he would fine them but for now, he had plenty to keep him going and that was just fine.

~*~

The train tracks were probably not the best thing to be following, but they at least were a landmark that the too thin and frail omega recognised. He knew that they were dangerous, that if he wasn’t careful then it would be very easy for his life to be ended but there was also a very faint spark of hope in his heart that these tracks would eventually lead him to someplace better. Someplace where maybe he could find shelter, food and protection.

Not just for himself, but also for the tiny bundle that he carried in his arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors note: well this came out a hell of a lot faster than I thought it would but once I started writing this chapter I could not stop and I just couldn't not share it at all. Happy Birthday, Baby Panda! Hope you got spoilt by all your Gege's cause they do all love you so much. And after seeing the clips of Tao and Luhan on Happy Camp on my gosh, it's so cute and funny and makes me so happy. Now we just need all three of them on a show together, with Lay, and I'll squeal like a rabid fangirl as will everyone else on the planet because we know that all of them are still friends! Just let us see you interacting! 
> 
> and I had to be a bit mean with a hint of someone coming back with something extra but not going to say anything more for now teehee -runs off before anyone can catch her- 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors warning: light and fluffy smut here and also a trigger warning of someone being very hurt

The rain was coming down so thick and hard as Kris made his way through the streets that he almost felt as if the world was deliberately trying to slow him down just a little bit. Especially as he rounded a corner to see the bus pulling away from the stop. A series of expletives escaped from his lips as he stared after it, frowning in annoyance before checking his watch. He was running only a few minutes late, so how the hell had he missed the bus. Sighing he rushed to the stop just to check that the bus had actually left and groaned again when he saw a new bus timetable posted behind the plastic covering. Once again, the city had changed the bus times, probably to make the service more efficient but it was downright annoying right at this moment in time. 

As it meant that Kris would have to wait an hour for the next one and he had promised to be home with the trio of omegas tonight because they had a long weekend coming up which meant only one thing. The living room being turned into a huge blanket and pillow fort, ordering in burgers and pizzas and as much popcorn as they could get in without causing too many comments and marathoning movies or series depending on whose turn it was to pick. 

It was Yixing’s turn and he had been going on and on about an idol show which he wanted to watch, which was not entirely everyone’s cup of tea but they agreed that everyone could have their pick and no arguments were to be made about what was chosen. If one of the participants didn’t like what was being watched, they could simply log onto their social medias via their phone or tablet or do something else as long as they were in the living room for family time. Nine times out of ten, Kris found it a perfect excuse to snuggle or make out with whoever didn’t want to watch the main show because most of the time he didn’t like whatever it was that the omegas were putting on for them to watch. But he would never complain because he loved to spoil and dote on his omegas, maybe a little too much at times but it was just the way that they worked best. 

Plus having a teenager around was certainly stirring things up. Not that Tao was a bad kid, not in the slightest, but he had differing opinions and a few minor spats had occurred over the last month. It was exhausting at times, definitely exasperating as well but they all somehow managed to work things out and get it flowing along smoothly once again. Or it was more a case of Tao hated conflict and arguments and frequently broke down into tears because he couldn’t retain an angry bone in his body for more than an hour. How he had even managed to survive around a training group filled with blood thirsty alphas, none of them could explain in the slightest. 

Though Luhan had said that Tao was suffering a bit from a huge hormone imbalance because his second heat had yet to strike and that one was always the worst. Kris had been mega confused as to why it had been Luhan who had told him that, seeing as his second omega did not have heats the same that other omegas did as he had his monthly schedule, but had then realised it was because Luhan was more sensitive to changes in his packmates. Especially as Yixing appeared to be about ready to hit another season, which was sending Tao’s instincts haywire because he was wanting to help protect his fellow omega and packmate but was potentially going into his own heat too. Kris was torn about what he was supposed to do with two omegas in heat at the same time but Luhan had just glared at him, “We’ll deal with it when it happens. We can’t predict when it’ll happen for Tao, or Yixing at the moment. Just be ready to deal with whatever is thrown at us.” 

His glaring at then turned into a grin as he lured the alpha into his bed for the night, saying that he deserved some one on one special time. Kris had noticed that Luhan had become more active with seeking his attention over the last month, seeming to have an insatiable appetite for the alpha and the things that they could only do together. 

Not that Kris was complaining, especially when he was buried deep inside his omega, both in their natural states with only a thin sheet of sweat to cover them. The way that Luhan’s tongue fought for dominance with his, his nails raking down his alpha’s back leaving small marks and being completely in control of how he wanted his pleasure for the evening. Usually Luhan was a bit more explorative, wanting to try out new things he had picked up from work, as working in a bookshop with an erotica section had really spiced up the physical side of their relationship, but he seemed happiest at the moment simply underneath his alpha with them connected directly together in an intimate act. 

Kris had been surprised the first time that Luhan had asked him to actually enter his vagina, to take him as he was meant to be taken and afterwards, they had talked long about the subject in depth. Even with Luhan being on birth control, there was still risks involved and the alpha didn’t want to throw anything at his omega or end up in a situation that he didn’t want. However, Luhan had just smiled sweetly throughout it and said that he just felt more comfortable in his own skin and as long as they used protection then everything would be fine. 

Though on that particular night, Luhan had kept Kris close to him the whole time and refused to let the alpha get anything. So, they had connected together for the first time with no physical protection and Kris had to admit that the wet tightness that the omega had was like nothing that he had ever experienced in his life but it had felt amazing. He had bucked up heavy and hard, his pace fast and fluid and Luhan had cried out in ecstasy throughout the whole time. When the alpha climaxed, he felt the omega tumble over the edge at the same time and knew that he ejaculated hard. Luhan kept him close for a full fifteen minutes after, making out heavily and desperately with him and refusing to allow Kris to pull out until he was ready to pass out. 

Not that Kris had complained in the slightest of course. They had snuggled together until the morning and then gotten cleaned up as usual. Though Luhan did have a blush on his features as he went downstairs because both Yixing and Tao were up. 

Yixing had raised his eyebrows in a silent question before letting out a knowing smirk, “Oho, someone had their fun last night.” 

“Shut up,” Luhan said, shaking his head as he moved to get his coffee whilst Kris went to fuss over Tao. “I have to listen to you two more often than not.” 

“Hey, don’t go bragging,” Tao pouted towards the pair, though there was too much mirth behind his words. They had all agreed that it was safer if Tao’s sexual activities were kept only till it was the time of his heats until they knew his natural rhythm and triggers. It was part of the agreement made with social services and even Tao himself agreed because whilst he knew that Kris would never hurt him, he wanted to be more secure in who he was. He loved his alpha and was so pleased that he all the patience in the world. Still didn’t mean that he wouldn’t take the opportunity to tease his elder gege’s of course. “You two get more action than I’ll ever get.” 

Yixing rolled his eyes, “Just to wait till your heats become regular, then you’ll get more than enough mister. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be meeting your friends for school in like five minutes?” 

That had caused the teenager to vacuum the rest of his breakfast and hurriedly leave, not without his usual hugs to Yixing and Luhan who pretended to vomit despite secretly adding a few more healthy snacks to Tao’s backpack whilst he was preoccupied with getting a kiss off Kris and being scent marked by the alpha yet again. 

But as the thunder boomed overhead, the alpha let out a sigh and closed his eyes. Here he was, a week and a half later, soaked through the by rain, about to have to make a call to his trio of omegas to tell them that he was going to be extra late getting home and that they should place the food order, and start without him. Then it would be the reassurances to Tao that yes, he was coming home, that there was nothing stopping him from doing so and that everything would be all right. Luhan would be pouty and annoyed but wanting to order extra food in because he knew what Kris got like whenever he ran late from his job, as apparently stress eating was a thing and Luhan was the best at organising food even if he was still banned from the kitchen from having set it on fire once back in his university days. Yixing would be the most understanding but actually require the most reassurance because he was the silent worrying type and Kris would spend most of the next hour just talking to him to try and keep his mind preoccupied from his anxiety that his alpha wasn’t by his side at the allotted times when he said he would. 

“You have got to be bloody well kidding me!” he cursed, digging his phone out of his pocket to see the lock screen of his three brightly smiling omegas disappear as the battery promptly died on him. Exasperated he glanced around the street and spotted a café that was open with it’s warm welcoming lights and a sigh of relief escaped his lips. At least he would be able to get inside and warm up a little bit. Plus, the Zumu who ran the café knew him so he would hopefully be able to borrow their telephone to let his omegas know what was going on. 

The bell tinkled merrily as he stepped inside the warm shop and instinct made him shake off as much as possible, despite the fact that he did not have wet fur in the slightest. Zumu looked up from her counter where she was just in the process of counting up the day’s takings, and lightly she pushed her glasses back up her nose, “Oh, good evening Kris.” 

“Good evening, Zumu,” Kris said as he bowed, taking a couple of steps forward as carefully as he could. “I know you’re closing for the night, but could I possibly borrow your phone? I missed the bus and I have to wait an hour for the next one and I don’t want my omegas to worry too much.” 

Zumu blinked towards him, her eyes taking a long moment to adjust as they always did. “Oh, my dear little wolfie, are you aware of the time?” 

“Huh?” Kris asked and then glanced up towards a large wooden clock on the wall. Which was just ticking around to seven o’clock. He blinked and let out a frustrated sound before glancing down at his wristwatch again, which was displaying the time as five to six. Though now he thought about it, that was the time which had displayed when he reached the bus stop. “Oh no,” he groaned, raising his watch to his ear to confirm that there was no ticking noise coming from it and an even longer groan escaped him. If it was after seven now that meant that there was no bus back home until the morning as that was the last bus which went past his estate. Rubbing his hand across his face, Kris blew out a sigh and wished for the thousandth time that day he had not accepted to take on the extra catwalk work that his colleague was supposed to do. 

For one thing it had dramatically taken over his schedule for the work he had to complete that day anyway, even if he was already three days ahead of that because he wanted the outfit design to be virtually done by the time he got to this weekend. But the client who had come in for a fitting was a spoilt, diva brat who wouldn’t stand still for a second, had criticised everything of the project despite it following her strict set of instructions and who after an single attempt at flirting with Kris, only to be politely declined as he already had three mates and she was certainly not one of the others he had yet to find, had thrown an tantrum and been difficult the rest of the time. 

His supervisor had said it was normal for the client to be like that and Kris had dealt with her rather well. But to also keep a sharp eye out for her return because if she liked what was produced, there was no escaping the bratty attitude. Kris didn’t even want to try and understand, especially now he was faced with a horrible predicament. 

He either had to fork out a hell of a lot of money for a taxi to get home or else face getting the train back. Which of course was the easiest method, but it would mean a twenty minute walk when he got back home. His car was currently in the garage being fixed after some thugs had decided it would be fun to smash up. It had been reported to the police and the insurance company were happy to fix it, they were just taking an age to do so. It had been nearly three weeks so far and every time he enquired about it, they politely informed him that everything was under control and he would be informed once it was ready to be picked up. 

Thankfully Luhan could drive and he did have his small car which was used for quick little runs to the shops or wherever it was that Luhan needed. But with the thunderstorm raging, there was no chance of getting the omega out of the house and Kris would not be happy at the thought of him driving in this weather either. Not because he didn’t trust Luhan’s abilities with driving, the omega was better than him at it, it was other people who could not obey the rules of the road and could potentially crash into Luhan that scared Kris half to death at just the though. He did not want to receive a phone call that his omega was in the hospital after a crash. That would just be a horrendous moment and would not be happening on his watch if he could avoid it. 

“Are you okay? I can make up the spare bed for you if you like,” Zumu asked with a smile, always the type of woman to offer help to those who were in some kind of trouble. Or loyal customers who frequently came in to buy coffees and a huge box of her delightful cakes. 

Kris nodded, “I’ll be fine. I can get the train home; it’ll be a bit of a pain, but I can manage. Thank you Zumu.” He smiled softly and glanced towards the wall mounted phone, “Is it okay for me to use your phone?” 

“Yes, go ahead dear,” Zumu replied, shuffling to the counter where she immediately began to set up a couple of cake boxes, “I’ll get some of these packed up as there’s too many for my kids tonight. Might as well help feed your hungry pups at home.” 

About to say that he could pay for the cakes, Kris was interrupted by the sound of an clearly stressed Yixing, “Please tell me that you got some kind of really good job opportunity, which has made you run late and miss the bus and that you’re on your way home soon?” 

Thunder happened to roll over head just the words finished, and Kris grimaced as he heard the joint squeaks of fear faintly on the line. He forgot that both Luhan and Tao hated thunderstorms, just another problem to add to the growing list today. He sighed, “Yes, sort of but they’ve changed the buses completely and I’ve missed the last one so I’m going to have to go and get the train, because there’s no way in hell that Luhan’s driving at all tonight.” 

“He’s not capable of it anyway,” Yixing sighed, whining a little, “I don’t like you taking the train.” 

“I know but it’s my only choice as I’m not forking out for a taxi,” Kris sighed, “Zumu is packing up her cakes for us too though and I’ll call once I’m at the station.” 

“Did your mobile die again?” 

“Yes,”

“Kris, I told you to charge it last night!” Yixing whined, clearly not in the mood to deal with anything like this and the alpha wished dearly that he could just hug the omega so tightly in his arms. 

“I did charge it, you saw me do it,” Kris replied, sighing, “I think I need a new one. But look, do us all a favour and order in from that American place we all like, and get as many extras as you like. I’ll be home as soon as I possibly can, and I promise I’ll call from the station to give you the heads up that I’m nearly there.” 

Yixing sighed but then coyly asked, “Can I order bubble tea and ice cream as well?” 

“Please, do so,” Kris smiled warmly, “And if you can get away from the screamers, see if the local shop has those sugar cookies in. I think we all need them right now.” 

“I love you,” Yixing said softly, sounding worried but also relieved in the same breath. 

“I love you too,” Kris replied, smiling at nothing in particular. “Now hurry up and get those cookies; and then get yourselves all wrapped up warm and I’ll be back as soon as I can be.” 

“Okay, be safe,” Yixing said as he hung up. 

Kris replaced the receiver and turned to see Zumu standing with a paper bag filled with the boxes of cake, “You best hurry if you want to be home at a reasonable hour.” 

Bowing low once again, Kris took the offered bag, “Thank you so much Zumu, how much do I owe you?” 

“They’re going to go off if they don’t get eaten today so nothing,” Zumu replied, a smile on her face as she caught his elbow and directed him out of the shop. “Now stop fretting and head out into the night, I get the feeling you’ll be needing more than cake by the end of it but keep your chin up.” 

Frowning at the old woman’s words, Kris would have questioned further had not another clap of thunder started noisily overhead and he rushed out to get to the train station. It would be the best option of the night and the longer he tried to argue with Zumu about payment the later it would end up being for him getting home to his lovely omegas.

The station was thankfully quiet, and he was able to grab a seat in the covered waiting room which was certainly a relief from the rain outside. As he waited, he glanced at the others who had dared to brave the inclement weather and felt a certain sense of familiarity with them. There was a stressed looking businessman who was yammering constantly on the phone to his own mate, offering reassurances that he was waiting on the platform and that he would be home shortly. In the other corner a tired looking mother was feeding one of her children with a bottle, whilst a slightly older boy was dancing back and forth in front of her in an attempt to cheer her up. Kris found his eyes lingering ever so slightly on the child for a moment, a feeling prickling in the back of his head, but he couldn’t quite place what it was. 

He did want cubs of his own, his alpha agreed with him on that but at the same time he knew that it was a dream for a later time. When they were all a little bit more settled and had the time to give a pup everything that it needed. Plus, he knew the omegas had a running line between them that no one was to have a pup until there were at least six of them around so there was still a little bit of a way to go in that respect. Though, the bitter thought did peek into Kris’s brain, if they had just been able to find Xiumin and Chen then they would be awfully close to that required number. Letting out a sigh, he brushed away the thoughts of the two missing omegas, because he could not allow himself to get depressed at a time like this. 

They would be found, he knew that in his heart, he just had to be a little more patient and understanding of the situation. Kris still spent some time searching for the pair, whenever he was dragged away on business meetings or internship things, but he hadn’t come across them in the slightest. The private investigator had picked up leads on a notorious breeding ring, that he had confirmed held at least one of the missing omegas, but every time he got within a few miles of the location it was guaranteed that it would have been moved on. The man however, Choi Siwon, had confirmed that the pack which the pair came from were indeed illegal breeders who stole cubs and trained them to pleasure and breed. Clearly Xiumin had been able to get hold of the suppressants that he and Chen used to make them appear to be Beta’s and for a while they had worked, meaning that they had been able to get away to university. 

But on the day when they got exposed, the pair hadn’t even gone far. Siwon had searched through the CCTV footage and confirmed that they had just escaped to the library for an hour or two and then had headed to their favourite coffee shop in order to cool down. He presumed that they were on the way back to the student accommodation when a car had pulled over, a conversation occurred, and they had both reluctantly got in. Siwon’s partner had followed the car throughout the city and to an address but by the time that anyone had noticed or followed, it was clear that there was no one there who was involved with the ring, and someone had hacked the system in order to delete anything that could have traced the two omegas from that point on. 

Kris had not informed Yixing or Luhan of this, knowing that the news would devastate them as they had been so close to keeping their pack mates if it had not been for the panic of Yixing’s injury. It would be devasting for them to hear and Kris wasn’t going to put them through that. They were happy with their little lot in life and they were both having a whole lot of fun with their baby Tao, so he wasn’t going to break it up with the memories that would undoubtedly bring about sadness. 

Shaking his head as an announcement came over the tanoy system to inform him that the train approaching the platform was the one he wanted, Kris got up from his seat and made his way towards it. It was packed to the brim, but the alpha knew that within the space of a few stops it would be quieter and it would be possible to get a seat. Unfortunately, a few stops later he realised that this was the replacement train for two services which had previously been cancelled due to the weather, and instead he had to stand the whole forty-five minute journey. 

Life was definitely playing him a bit of a dirty hand at the moment. 

A few text messages and random silly photos from Yixing made a small content smile appear on his face however, and he couldn’t help but relax just a little bit more at the thought that soon he would be off this smelly train filled with soaking wet wolves and humans and would be back home, safe in his house. He could practically feel himself cuddling up with his omegas and able to spend a long holiday weekend with them all. It almost sounded like a dream at the moment, but he just had to be patient for a little while longer. 

His stop came up and he stepped out quickly, glad to find that the rain had dropped off drastically and was now down to a pleasant drizzle, which after being stuck in the city for the whole day was a nice little relief from the madness that had been going on before. Here the rain made everything smell earthy and refreshing, the grass and flowers sending out a soothing lilt to the air which made it all just a little bit more manageable and Kris couldn’t help but smile. 

Especially seeing as the station telephone was free as well so he made a quick call home to tell the others that he would be back in a little while. The call went through to answerphone but Kris half expected that anyway and knew that his omegas would hear what he said as it broadcast to the whole house so he smiled, “I’m at the station and should be home in about twenty minutes. I hope you guys are hungry as we have lots of cakes from Zumu’s and she sends her love and best wishes.” 

Hanging up, Kris shook himself off in a very dog like manner before heading off the station with the intention of doing as he said and heading straight home. He wanted nothing more than to just cuddle up to his omegas, feed them treats and spoil them rotten. 

The smell of stale coffee and crushed jasmine had his feet pausing not five minutes later, whilst the stench of metal and burnt skin had him charging off at an incredibly fast pace. His instincts were flaring, his alpha angered and furious even if the rational part of his mind was questioning what it was that he was doing at this precise moment in time, but the alpha knew better than to try and fight against whatever was clearly dragging him forward. He ran down several alleyways, ones that were lined with pretty murals and posters advertising concerts, charity bike rides and other events in the city. It was referred to as the Rainbow Walkway by the local residents, because of the brightly coloured paving slabs and it led to the large open air park and playground that humans and wolves used. 

It was one of the packs favourite places to go as they could spend time in their wolf forms and have a good old run around with others without the humans getting too upset over seeing them. Most presumed that they were just large dogs, and many allowed their pets to play with them in this form. It was one of the few towns where humans and wolves got along, and the pack were incredibly happy here. 

Tao had a particular liking for this spot as he could be the idiotic cub that he wanted to be with several wolves his own age from school, and if there was ever a time that no one could find him, it was a safe bet that he was here. 

There were lots of scents all over the walkway and the park, as it was used by so many people on such a frequent occasion that it all mixed together, but with the way the rain was falling, it was easy to distinguish the stale coffee scent that Kris was currently tracking. Along with another one which reminded Kris of milk which seemed to be an unusual combination, but he knew that the moment his main task was just to find whoever the scent belonged to and ensure that they were safe. Vaguely he wondered why there were no others searching for the scent, as it could only be an omega producing such a strong scent to get him to come to them, but then figured with the rain many of the other alphas would be at home. Even the ones who patrolled the area would be staying undercover for now which made sense as no sane wolf should be out in this sort of weather. 

But Kris had to be, had to find where this scent led to as it was vitally important and if he didn’t, then he didn’t want to think of the consequences. Instincts were extremely hard not to follow in a moment like this and Kris trusted his to the ends of the earth. 

The park was usually several hundred shades of vibrant colours that shimmered brightly no matter what the weather, but with the gloom up above from the dark clouds and the sodden earth, it looked almost deserted and rather depressing. But Kris barely paid attention as he followed that smell to the best of his abilities, past the park with its swings and roundabouts, past the duck pond which had thousands of little ripples in from the still falling drops and across the large playing field. His shoes were muddy, he could already feel the icky water creeping through to the bare skin underneath, but the alpha really did not care as he tore straight towards the treeline. 

He slowed down from his mad dash sprint, the little wood virtually reeking of the scent he had been following and the metallic stench that accompanied it was stronger now. But as the wolf slowed his breathing and took a long moment to focus, he realised that it was stale too. Old wounds, some healed, some not quite and an infection present if his nose were guiding him right and he could only fear for the state that he was going to find the omega in when he got to it. 

Though the smell of milk was also stronger now, it was cleaner than the other one and held notes of desperation and a silent cry for help. “A cub?” Kris breathed out gently, trying to focus himself into finding the pair and praying that both were still alive, “I’m coming to help, please don’t be dead. Where are you?” 

It was dark in the treeline, no sun or moon in the sky to help guide him forward but Kris did not worry about that as his nose constantly twitched and moved him in the right direction. Plus, there was enough broken foliage that made tracking the lost soul so much easier. He had barely gone fifty paces into the woods when he came across a small clearing that some kids must have created at one point. The ground was cleared of branches and brambles, which had then been stacked up in between to sturdy trees to make a sort of shelter. Clearly meant for playing during the summer as there were more gaps present than actual coverings. 

It would do nothing to protect from the rain in the slightest and Kris did not even need to think twice as he pulled his rather sodden jacket off and knelt next to the figure who was huddled up underneath it. They were small, just on that borderline between thin and malnourished and their clothes were clearly scavenged as they did not match and were far too large. The face was gaunt, cheeks slightly hollow and the skin an unhealthy shade of yellow in places. There were also large bruises around the creatures next and a large scar around his ear from a blade. Kris could only presume that it was done when whoever was roughly shaving off the locks of hair, which was just appearing to grow back in odd clumps of dark fuzz. 

A tiny whimper caught the alpha’s attention and he tilted his head to the figure’s chest, seeing a small bundle wriggling. Very gently, Kris pulled the bundle away from the unconscious omega, in order to check on it and found himself holding onto a beautiful black wolf cub. One that was tiny, thin like its mother and yet somehow still so ready to keep on fighting, as its little paws tapped lightly at the alphas face, that Kris was amazed that the pair had gotten this far. 

Though he was more surprised when the apparently unconscious omega on the floor was suddenly up on his knees and tearing the cub away from the alpha with a growl only a terrified mother could produce. In surprise Kris pulled back and immediately held up his hands towards the injured creature, “Whoa, hey, hey,” he snapped back like a pissed off alpha before shaking his head and reigning in his fright. “Sorry,” he continued a little quieter, noticing that the omega had his hackles raised, “I wasn’t going to take the little one away, I was just making sure that…” 

A fearful growl turned into a whimper and Kris saw the way that the other curled protectively around the cub, hiccups of tears beginning to form, and his heart just went out to the pour thing. “Hey, shush, it’s going to be okay. I’ll help you.” Carefully he picked up the fallen jacket from before and held it out, “I’ve don’t live far from here and there’s three other omegas who will help you, they’re my mates and honestly they won’t do anything nasty to you or the cub, they’ll just want to help.” 

As Kris was talking, a pair of very tired brown eyes slowly made their way up towards his and there was a flash of fear but there was also the smallest sparks of hope, relief, joy and acceptance as well. The alpha found himself unable to utter anymore words as more waves of familiarity ran through his whole being. How the sunken cheeks used to be plump and round, how sweet looking the lips had been when they were not chewed half to death and when there had been no bruises, cuts, scratches or scars on the others face. 

Back in the days when the other had appeared to them as a beta who had lived in their dorms like he belonged in their lives. A beta who was soft and cared so much for Luhan and Yixing like a mother hen, ensuring that they were healthy and well fed and weren’t about to drop dead from stress or exhaustion. A beta who had punched him on the nose when the truth was accidentally exposed. The beta who had been missing for the better part of four and a half years. 

Silently, Kris reached out to the boys right arm, glad that he did not flinch or cry out in the slightest as he oh so gently pushed aside the material to reveal the dark outline of an intricate snowflake which he knew all too well. Tears pooled in the alpha’s eyes as a smile crossed his face, before ever so quietly and gently he placed his hands on either side of the boy’s face, “Finally, I find you again, my omega.” 

A shuddering breath escaped from the chapped lips, a question forming ever so faintly but the alpha heard it, “Kris?” 

“Welcome back, Xiumin,” Kris replied, pressing a very gentle kiss to the others forehead before placing the other in his jacket and picking the so light omega and his cub up into his arms. “Let’s get you both back home, to where you belong.” 

Xiumin subconsciously tightened his grip on his cub, “You’re not…going to…hurt…Chan…he’s only…” 

Kris shook his head as he started back out of the forest and made a beeline for home, “No, your cub is my cub. Let’s get you home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors babbling: Isn't Kris just the biggest cinneamon roll on the planet? But in the awesome Zack Fair style. Who couldn't fall in love with him?  
> Yush, Xiumin is back with the pack where he should be and expect lots of fluff next chapter  
> Oh before anyone panics, no the cub is not Chanyeol, the big eared happy virus will turn up in his dramatic and crazy way later on but he is an other Chan from the kpop world who may give you a hint as to who potential future cubs may be. I look forward to the guesses as everyone did very well with the last cliffhanger so that's great.   
> Also, UWU at Happy Camp with the trio of the China-line! I haven't seen the full episode, as life as an adult is very busy at the best of times but I've seen clips and small bits and god I was squealing so bad! Kris, Luhan and Tao all together!   
> Hope you enjoyed


	9. Chapter 9

Yixing literally screamed when he opened to the door, staring wide eyed at the state of his alpha but mainly for the fact that he appeared to be carrying someone that was dead in his arms. Until the dead body moved, trying to cower into Kris’s large protective body and a waft of a familiar scent hit the omegas nose. Shaking his head, Yixing took a closer look and stepped impossibly closer to nuzzle against the other with tears immediately spiking in his eyes. “Xiumin! You’re back! You’re home! You’re safe! Thank all the gods in all the heavens!” 

Xiumin shifted slightly, fearful and confused clearly in his exhausted state but the tiniest of tiny smiles crossed his face as recognition bloomed across it, “Xing?” 

“Xiumin!” Yixing said and then suddenly came to his senses, “Bloody hell! Get in out of the rain this instant! We need a bath going straight away and some food on the stove and someone will need to call the doctor and…cub?” 

Kris sighed, shaking his head in affection towards Yixing, “Sweetheart, focus on one thing at a time will you. My legs are about to give way.” 

Snapping out of his trance once again, Yixing picked up the cub from Xiumin’s chest, ignoring the whines that came from the other omega as he let his alpha head past him into the living room, where he followed quickly behind. Luhan and Tao were on the opposite side of the room, having remained in their makeshift blanket fort despite the storm ending, and both were clearly wary of what was going on. It wasn’t every day that Yixing screamed. 

However, the moment that Kris set Xiumin down on the long sofa which hadn’t been deprived of cushions, Luhan was straight over to the pair. Immediately he placed hundreds of kisses all over the omega’s face and hugged him fiercely. “Xiumin, oh thank gods” he nuzzled the other affectionately before pulling back to lightly bop him on the nose with a mock glare in his eyes. “Don’t you ever hurt our alpha like that again, do you hear? Otherwise I’ll break your nose too.” 

Looking confused for a second, Xiumin blinked and then opened his eyes wide with a terrified gasp of air leaving his lips. Luhan quickly pulled him back into a hug though, scent marking him hurriedly and pressing more kisses to the side of his head. “Whoa, hey, sorry, I didn’t mean it. You know I would never hurt you. I’m just so happy to see you back here, with us, right where you belong.” 

Xiumin hiccupped, tears falling down from his eyes, but his words completely failed as horrendously ugly sobs started to escape from his mouth. Yixing also started to cry and without thinking passed the cub in his arms to a very bewildered Tao, before he virtually leapt onto the sofa to snuggle up to the other omega and add more kisses and hugs. 

Kris returned to the living room, having only briefly left in order to get changed out of his wet clothes into something more manageable and raised his eyebrow at the scene that was going on. His first thought was to take a photograph but his phone was back in the master bedroom, on charge, so instead he did a quick mental priority list and acted upon it. 

Tao was pulled into a swift hug, a kiss being placed on his forehead, “Don’t worry, this is Xiumin, one of my omegas who went missing a few years back. I found him on the way home and he’s…” 

“In needs of lots of love and attention,” Tao smiled back, though sounding a little out of his depth. However, the youngster looked down at the black cub in his arms, a certain level of warmth to his smile that Kris immediately found endearing, “I take it this little ball of fluff is his baby?” 

Kris nodded, “They were together when I found him, so I presume so. Do you think you can handle him for a bit? Need to get Xiumin cleaned up and then seen by a Doctor.” 

A look of nervousness crossed the young omegas face, but he took a deep breath and nodded, “I’ll try. I don’t know much about cubs though.” 

“Just follow your instincts,” Kris replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Tao’s head again, “I’m sure you’ll do fine. You’re an omega, this should be second nature to you.” 

“An omega who was raised as an alpha,” Tao reminded him but the cub in his arms had started wriggling around and the omega looked down. “Hmm, I think someone needs their own bath and maybe the toilet and some food. Come on cubby, lets get you sorted out.” 

Shaking his head as Tao set off to look after the cub, Kris felt a little bit of pride bubble up in his heart for his youngest omega before immediately returning his attention to the trio on the sofa. Very gently he stepped forward and slipped his hands in between bodies until he could safely grasp fully onto the distressed Xiumin. The boy was beginning to squirm about and seemed to be taking in a series of rapid breaths which was not a good thing. Though the panic decreased drastically as Xiumin practically flung himself into Kris’s arms and held onto him for dear life once he recognised the touch of the alpha. 

“Shhh, it’s okay, just breath. I’m here, you’re safe and everything is going to be fine.” Kris kept his words soft, gentle soothing as he ran his hand in circles around the others back, ignoring the protruding bones. “Minnie, would you like a bath and a change of clothes?” 

For a few long seconds Xiumin did not reply, still hiccupping dangerously before he slightly pulled back from the alpha with a questioning look. Instinct made the alpha know what it was that the omega was questioning and lightly he shook his head, wiping away the tears that still fell down the others face. “Not until you’re ready, right now I just want to make sure you’re okay physically and I’m sure that a bath and a change of clothes will help massively with that.” 

Again, Xiumin was quiet before he nodded and wrapped himself around Kris like he was going to happily relax but let out a sharp sound. He snapped his head to the floor where he had last seen his baby and let out a strangled noise when he didn’t see him anywhere. “Chan!” he yelled out, his voice hoarse, “Where…Chan!” 

“Right here,” Tao said, appearing as if by magic next to the others, the cub safe in his arms and wrapped in a blue towel from the airing cupboard, “I’ve got him. He’s safe, I’m going to warm him up and see if I can give him some milk…” 

Xiumin reached out for his cub, seeming to completely ignore Tao’s presence as he nuzzled against his cub. “Stay, Chan, stay here.” 

Kris sighed, “Chan is going to be fine, Xiumin, Tao’s going to look after him whilst we give you a bath and I promise you that he’s not going anywhere. I won’t send him away and I won’t let anyone take him away. I promise you.” 

Extremely tired eyes sought out Kris’s, “You swear?” 

“On my life,” Kris said, “Cub stays with us, no matter what. I told you, your cub, my cub.” 

A tired smile escaped from Xiumin’s lips before exhaustion took him and he collapsed in the alpha’s arms. Tao pulled back automatically, protecting the cub in his arms whilst Luhan and Yixing fretted over the adult omega. Kris steadied the passed out omega and picked him up into a now familiar hold. “Come on guys, we need to get him sorted. Luhan can you go and start running a bath and then call the Doctor and see if he can come and visit. Yixing, we need clothes for him and maybe a light bit of supper or erm…”

“I’ll call Detective Choi and let him know what’s going on,” Yixing supplied already on his feet and rushing to the kitchen phone, “Head on up, we will be there to help in a moment.” 

Kris nodded and looked down at his hurt omega once again, surprised that he was still so very calm given the situation as he should have been really flying into a murderous rage. There again, he did not yet know who had hurt his Xiumin or to what extent that he had been hurt either which meant his focus was more on getting the omega cleaned and his wounds treated. Plus, there was a little bit of guilt eating away at his heart that he had potentially ruined their lovely family weekend but pushed that thought straight out of his head. They had found one of their missing family members, who needed treatment as well as help right now and that was what he had to focus on. 

As he made his way to go upstairs, the alpha turned back towards the living room just to check on how his youngest was doing. Whilst he trusted that Tao would be okay with a cub, he couldn’t help but just worry that it was a lot of responsibility to throw suddenly at their spoilt baby panda. 

Tao however was sitting crossed legged at the foot of the blanket fort, with a bright yellow rubber duck in his hands which he was squeaking towards the tiny cub known only as Chan. “Rubber ducky, you’re the one!” he sang towards the cub, before squeaking the duck and repeating the song over again. Chan was snuffling towards the duck, letting out occasional little happy squeaking noises and Kris felt himself melt into a pile of very happy goo. 

“Get him upstairs now,” Luhan bossed, catching hold of Kris’s arm, “Yixing is getting the totes adorbs video and pics for later. Now we need to focus on getting Minnie sorted.” 

Nodding, Kris hurried up the stairs as fast as he dared and set Xiumin on the bathroom floor in order to start removing the omegas clothes. 

By the time they were done, he almost wished that he hadn’t. 

With Xiumin passed out it had been so much easier to get the omega into the bathroom and positioned in such a manner that both Kris and Luhan could work around him without getting too much in each other’s way. However, Kris had found his whole being pausing as he removed the overly large t-shirt and found himself looking at the others body. Bones protruded out of the skin, which was a harsh yellow colour with multiple bruises in varying shades of dark blues and purples covering a vast majority of the skin. There were also stark white scars around the omegas abdominal area, they were rough, barely followed the same line as the previous incision and it was clear that they were done by inexperienced hands. 

Kris only knew what they were because he had once asked his uncle about them when they were swimming in the lake when he was a child. Most male omegas had to give birth by caesarean section unless they were like Luhan and were born with the necessary equipment to birth naturally. They were usually marks given by trained professionals or alphas who had undergone some pretty intensive training to ensure that they only left the barest scar and healed up to leave a mark that would be treasured by all involved. These looked more like someone had hacked through the omegas skin in a rush to get the babies out and Kris felt a whirlwind of emotions flooding his system. 

Anger because his omega had been hurt so badly, and not treated right afterwards or cared for in the slightest like he should have been. Hurt because one of his own had been hurt when they shouldn’t have been and part of him wanted to be the one who bore those scars rather than his precious Xiumin. Grief was also present because the alpha could not imagine how much pain and upset would have gone through the omegas mind at having his cubs being stolen away from him. Disgust that there were monsters in the world who could do something like this to an sweet innocent omega without a single thought as to how they were hurting the one below them and a hatred for that darker underground world that had interfered with everything that was his. 

Large fingers gently caressed the scars, the emotions welling up in his heart and making his vision narrow down as his inner alpha began to grow restless. It was hungry for revenge, prepared to set out into the darkness of the night and slaughter all those who had dared to do this to his Xiumin. He would make all of them pay, make them suffer ten times worse and enjoy their cries for mercy. 

A soft hand slapped heavily onto his, breaking him out of the haze of rage which was beginning to overtake him, and he looked up. Luhan was glaring at him, his eyes a deep dark blue and for a few seconds Kris was fairly sure that he was going to be murdered right there and then. Though the eyes softened as the alpha raised his hands in surrender and his second omega shifted closer to place his soft delicate hand on his cheek. Instant relief washed through Kris’s system, calming the enraged beast within him and making the alpha realise just how wound up the scars had actually made him. He closed his eyes, allowing Luhan’s essence to filter through his entire body and mind, removing the hatred and anger that he felt and instead replacing it with love and understanding. 

There was no point in giving into his base instincts, to be the hot headed alpha mess that he would be out in the wild. Revenge would get him no where because he didn’t even know where he had to start looking. Right now, he had Xiumin, who was wounded and needed care, love and support. Revenge could come later, by the proper means where justice would be served fairly and correctly. If he went out and killed an innocent wolf who was not involved in this whole bitter situation just to satisfy his blood lust, then where would that leave his pack. 

A soft smile formed over his lips before he opened his eyes, seeing relief in the now lighter blue of Luhan’s which he guessed meant that he had started to become feral but had calmed down. Gently he reached out, pressing his hand to the others cheek in a similar manner before placing a kiss to the tip of his nose. “Sorry, alpha tendencies.” 

“Oh, I know,” Luhan replied with a sad, yet understanding smile, “Just didn’t want you running off to commit murder.” 

“No, no murder is going to be committed at all,” Yixing said, appearing at the bathroom doorway with a collection of towels and some folded clothes, “Even if we all agree that it should happen at some point. The Doctor is on route, along with Detective Choi and a college of his and Tao is attempting to give Chan a bath.” 

Luhan blinked, “Oh dear, how’s the baby coping?” 

“Seems to be enjoying it actually,” Yixing said, taking the dirtied clothes from Kris who had finally found the guts to finish undressing the other omega, keeping back a choke of anguish at seeing hundreds of red cut marks all down Xiumin’s thighs. “I’m going to make some broth and dumplings’, hopefully his stomach can handle that much for the time being.” 

Kris nodded, shifting to allow the omegas the chance to dispose of the clothing into plastic bags as he gently picked up Xiumin once again. “That sounds good, hopefully we won’t be too long.” 

Yixing nodded, “I doubt you will be, oh Lu, do you know where the inflatable bed is? I’m going to set it up in the living room for Xiumin cause it’s the biggest space we’ve got.” 

The other omega looked confused for a second and then considered the fact that there were currently four people trying to squeeze into the bathroom. He figured that adding in others was going to be problematic and it would make the most sense to have them all in a central location. He tilted his head to the side as Kris lowered Xiumin into the bath, thinking quickly and clearly. “I’m sure it’s either in the airing cupboard with the spare sheets that your mother sent us or else it’ll be in the utility room in the box of things we haven’t quite moved into proper places yet.” 

“We still have a box of that?” Kris asked, sounding a little amused as he gently began to run a flannel over the still thankfully slumbering omega’s body. 

Luhan nodded as he moved around to the opposite side of the bath to help with a different flannel and tried his best not to start hissing when he saw the state of the other’s legs. “Yeah…we’ve had it since before Tao moved in and it just kind of got left…” 

Kris glanced across at the omega as his words died on his tongue and he could see the slight shake to the other’s hands. Gently he reached across and copied the previous motion of placing a hand on the others cheek. It just so happened that the flannel he was using happened to be in the same hand, so it flopped wetly against the others cheek. 

“Eww gross!” Luhan chided playfully, pulling away though his eyes shone with love and affection towards the alpha, “Xiumin, tell him off!” 

The alpha knew that it was just a playful jibe, but his heart swelled when there came a grunting groan from the other. Though whether it was because Xiumin was in pain or because he was actually telling the alpha off, was a mystery that they would have to sort out later. Kris still playfully rolled his eyes and got back to work, “Yes, Mama, I’ll behave.” 

Luhan laughed a little at the scrunched up expression that crossed Xiumin’s face and continued on with the task of cleaning the other up. They had to change the water three times as there was more dirt, dried blood and other substances lingering on the bruised and battered skin. There were also several recent wounds that opened up as well as a couple of older ones which hadn’t been healed correctly that added to the mess. Yixing returned with the first aid kit just after the other two had set Xiumin down on the towel covered floor and the nursing student set about patching up what he could. It was only basic wound coverings with some antiseptic on them but by the looks of things this was the most healing that he had been granted in a long while, so it was better than nothing. 

Fixing the last of the gauze in place with a safety pin, Yixing nodded as he looked up, “Time to get him warmed up, soups on a low simmer so we should be good to go.” 

Kris nodded and took hold of the clothes that Luhan passed him, “Do you want to go and check on Tao? Make sure he’s doing okay?” 

Luhan nodded slowly, half seeming distracted but Yixing was also a little bit fidgety as well. Kris tilted his head towards his first omega in question as the other dashed out of the door. Yixing smiled broadly at him, “The cubs been whining for a bit now, we’re quite attuned to it.” 

Seeing the worried look on his alphas face, Yixing just smiled, “It’s nothing that Tao’s done wrong, cubs just hungry probably and well, Tao is still just a cub himself so doesn’t have the ability to feed him yet.” 

“Oh, right, milk,” Kris said absently, shaking his head as he carefully began to dress Xiumin, “I don’t think we have any in the fridge however.” 

Opening his mouth to say something, Yixing closed it and focused for a few seconds on getting a pair of socks onto Xiumin’s feet, “Oh I’m sure that Lulu can deal with feeing the cub without having to run to the store.” 

The words went right over Kris’s head as he concentrated on finishing up his current task and was glad to see that Xiumin was at least looking a little on the brighter side even if the borrowed pyjama set looked as though it could wrap around him twice. Once again, the still thankfully slumbering omega was picked up by those strong arms and carried downstairs to be laid out on the inflatable mattress which had been set with light sheets and a collection of soft pillows and plushie’s. A contented little sigh escaped from Xiumin’s lips which had Kris snuggling into his side, nuzzling at his neck and placing a few little butterfly kisses there, “Love you, Xiumin, love you so much. You’re safe, you’re home and you’ll never again by hurt by anyone.” 

“Good to know,” a deep voice had the alpha snapping his head up, only to see a tall man with slick black hair and a rather horse like expression. He wore a form fitting suit that was several seasons out of date but still looked fresh and classy on his tall frame. He had a slightly wide, almost boxy smile but with soft eyes that conveyed all sorts of emotions. Definitely an alpha from his strong masculine scent but he was imposing no threat or danger to anyone right now. There again Kris would have recognised Detective Choi Siwon in an instant because the man was handsome and looked more like he should be gracing the cover of some popular magazine that scouting around the streets tracking down criminals. 

What was curious was that he was flanked by someone whom Kris had not seen before. He was smaller than Siwon, there again everyone was generally smaller than Siwon as Kris only personally beat him in height by two inches, but he still had a big presence around him. He was slight of built, with an angular face and long wavy brown hair and a smile that was just sunshine and rainbows all in one. He wore stylish but practical clothes, with a papous on his back that held a sleeping youngster of around two years old who was quietly sucking his thumb. Even without that visual clue, the sheer amount of motherly, calming pheromones that the man was putting out made it easy to identify him as being an omega and it took all of Kris’s inner instincts to stay put next to Xiumin. Because god he wanted to go over to the other and be petted like a good cub that he was. 

Siwon turned to his companion and affectionally knocked him on the head, “Yah, knock it off with your mothering instincts. You’re making me want to bend my knees, Leeteuk.” 

A blush crossed the smaller man’s face, “Sorry, force of habit.” 

Siwon rolled his eyes, “I know, sweetheart, now go and deal with the cub over there and I’ll get on with this part of the job.” 

Leeteuk smiled serenely, nodded towards Kris in what he recognised as a sign of submission that was generally used by all medical staff before the omega headed towards the kitchen where the others currently were. 

The detective made it way across to the alpha, kneeling next to the bed but keeping a respectable distance just in case Kris decided to get defensive and attack. “Don’t worry about Leeteuk, he’s my mate, he works with me, but I tend to keep him out of harms way most of the time.” 

“Understandable,” Kris smiled, glancing back towards the kitchen, “Though I didn’t know you were a family man?” 

A genuine grin crossed the detectives face, “I don’t tend to let my clients know of my family life. In order to protect them mainly. But there was no way that Tuekie wasn’t going to follow me tonight.” 

Nodding, Kris turned back to the sleeping Xiumin, “He’s been out for a while now.” 

“Probably a good thing,” Siwon said, moving closer before realising his mistake when Kris growled warningly towards him. “Sorry, my bad, should have asked. When you gave him a bath earlier, did you notice any marks on his shoulder or chest area? That weren’t made by tooth or claw?” 

Confused for a few moments, Kris blinked and thought back over everything he had seen, he could only presume that Siwon had guessed about the bath because Xiumin did smell just like the lavender soap that they had used on him. He couldn’t remember seeing anything like what the detective had described at all so shook his head. Siwon sighed, “Is it okay if I take a look? I just want to rule out a couple of possibilities though from what I can see here, I can only pray that I’m wrong in my assumption.” 

Kris looked a little bit wary, just out of a natural instinct to protect his own but he relented when the elder alpha suggested that he continue to hold onto Xiumin the whole time. Very gently, Kris picked the omega up and removed the long sleeved top that he was wearing before carefully sitting behind him so that the Detective could easily get to see what he wanted. Siwon seemed to be aware of the protective nature of alphas and only approached once he had gotten a full confirmation from Kris that it was fine to do so. 

His dark eyes flashed red in anger as he examined the wounds and abrasions on the others skin, but Kris recognised it as being nothing more than an alpha being annoyed at finding a hurt omega. The proper reaction that any wolf worth their salt should have had. Siwon lifted Xiumin’s arm and turned it slightly, causing a slight moments discomfort from the whine that Xiumin let out but it was gone the next second. 

On the underneath of the sleeper’s arm was a scar that was different from the others that Kris had seen. It appeared to be more like a branding mark, a circle with a cross in it with a Korean character over the top which he did not recognise. Underneath was the code 2B9N (1) and from the lack of redness around the skin it was clear that it had been there a long time. Siwon let out a long sigh of defeat before helping Kris to redress Xiumin. He smiled as he watched the young omega immediately snuggle back into the warmth of the far too large jumper and then proceed to curl up like a cat in his alpha’s arms. 

Kris was also distracted by the far too cute sight and nuzzled into his omega affectionately. 

“He was taken by one of the more invisible breeding rings,” Siwon said, breaking the cuteness, “They’re called Sowon, and it’s probable and he and your other missing omega were sold to them by their pack to pay off a debt. Probably a heavy gambling one.” 

Pulling Kris closer, the alpha gulped, “Will he be safe here?” 

“From all things considered, yes,” Siwon said, “It’s rare that anyone gets away from Sowon without fulfilling their contracts to them. Most don’t survive long enough to even complete that evil. But I would need to ask him more questions that are not going to be easy to answer and would probably be done after he’s had some proper treatment.” 

A delightful set of giggles came from the kitchen which caused both alphas to turn their heads towards the area. Siwon’s smile only briefly lasted, “Though he brought a cub with him?” 

“Yes, Chan,” Kris replied automatically, “He’s with the others right now.” 

“I’ve never known anyone be set free with a cub before,” Siwon mused, before shaking his head, “But that all depends on what happened and how he got here. Do you mind if I run through a few more details with you now before the medical team gets here? Or do you want to wait until he’s better?” 

Kris paused and glanced down at Xiumin and then back towards the kitchen, “Do I have to worry about anyone coming for him or the cub?” 

For a long moment Siwon was silent, before he bit at his lip, “I’m not sure. But if you want, I can speak to some people I know who work in the law enforcement teams. They won’t interfere with your life and will just be there for emergencies…” 

“Please, I want my family protected no matter what,” Kris said, holding onto Xiumin just a little tighter, “I’ve already lost part of it once before, I’m not losing it again.” 

Nodding Siwon stood up, “Okay, let me go and make some calls. I’ll get everything in order for you.” 

With a confirmation nod from the alpha, Siwon made his way quickly over to the kitchen where the omegas had gathered and couldn’t help the gentle smile that crossed his face. Leeteuk was leaning up against the counter, looking relaxed and at peace with himself whilst Yixing was sat at the breakfast table with Zhoumi excitedly scribbling in a school notebook which was clearly too old for his cub, but it was the back pages which could be torn out. Tao was sitting opposite, watching the pair completely fascinated and held a certain glow about him along with a sweet smell which almost caused a pause out of Siwon, but then he figured that if he were a threat then his mate would deal with him straight away. 

His dark eyes sought out for Leeteuk who smiled brightly at him and indicated his head to the side. Standing near to the back door which had been opened to allow a little fresh air in was Luhan, who was gently cradling a tiny baby boy in his arms and nursing him from his own breast. He seemed so content and natural in the role that Siwon was taken aback for a moment. He was sure that it had been a black furred cub when he first came in, but a quick glance at Zhoumi reminded him of the fact that tiny wolf cubs like Chan would subconsciously change between human and wolf form without even knowing that they were doing it. It was a natural survival instinct because a wolf couldn’t suckle from a human breast anymore than a human couldn’t from a wolf teat. Even if in essence it was the same thing. 

A frown filtered into his face but before he could even begin to voice anything, Leeteuk popped up right next to him and pinched his nose. “Go, make your calls. The doctors will be arriving in the next two minutes.” 

Looking down at his mate, Siwon rose his eyebrows up towards the other who simply rolled his eyes in response and gave him a shove. “Go, get to work. I gave Heechul and Ryeowook a call, they’ll be over to pick me and Zhoumi up shortly.” 

“But,” Siwon started

“Leave it,” Leeteuk stated in a tone which suggested there was to be no room for arguments, “Be the Detective you are right now Mr. Choi.” 

Closing his mouth, Siwon gave Leetuek a playful glare before resting his forehead on the others and heading outside to quickly make a call. Sighing happily, Leeteuk shook his head and turned back to the others, grinning at the confused looks that both Yixing and Tao were giving him, “I have to boss my alphas around sometimes cause the thick-headed idiots would never get anything done otherwise.” 

Yixing smiled, “I know what you mean. Still must be hard for you at times.” 

“Hmm,” Tao mused, offering Zhoumi a crisp from the packet that he was eating from much to the cub’s delight, “I’ve never heard of an omega having more than one mate before.” 

Leeteuk shrugged, “Not many people have, it’s far more normal for there to be omega packs after all. We’re just the same really, just with more egos to deal with and only me to calm the buggers down when they get overly hyped over something.” 

“But still, eight alphas?” Tao said, shuddering a little, “That just sounds crazy.” 

“You’d be fine,” Yixing teased playfully, “Since you were trained with all alphas.” 

Tao snorted, “And they were the biggest bunch of twits going, there’s no way I could have controlled any of them.” 

“Oh, if you were their omega would you have easily done it,” Leeteuk smiled, batting lightly at Zhoumi’s nose, “Trust me it’s complicated but you make it work. Plus…we actually have more to come too.” 

“Huh?” all three of the omegas in the kitchen said at the same time, looking up towards the elder. 

Leeteuk smiled and nodded, “Yeah, usually your alpha will bare versions of all of your marks, right? Well it’s the reverse for us, I have all my mate’s marks on me but so far only eight have filled in. There’s another five for us to find to be a complete family.” 

“Wow, I pity you,” Yixing said, shaking his head, “I mean, sure if it all works out but twelve alphas?” 

Tao let out a laugh, “That’s almost as bad as Kris having eleven of us to deal with. Plus, cubs.” 

“Cub,” Yixing corrected, looking with a smile towards Luhan, “There’s only Chan for now and he’s little enough to manage.” 

Leeteuk blinked at Yixing and then turned his head towards Tao who shrugged with his hands extended up. Shaking his head, he let out a sigh that turned into a chuckle and then turned towards the door, “Oh, looks like the medical team are here.” 

Yixing raised his head, “Good, though I think we’re all in for a long night.” 

“Yup and I best get this one home and to bed,” Leeteuk said, moving to the cub at the table, “Come on Zhoumi, your uncles are here to pick us up. Time to go home.” 

“Aww, can we come play with babies tomorrow Mama?” Zhoumi asked sweetly, already arranging Tao’s school supplies back into his pencil case. 

Leeteuk nodded, “I’m pretty sure we can, sweetie. Now come on, time to say goodbye.” 

Zhoumi extended his arms out towards his mother in order to be picked up and once he was safely settled on Leeteuk’s hip he waved towards Yixing and Tao, “Bye bye, Gege, see you tomorrow.” He then twisted around to wave at Luhan and Chan, “Bye bye baby, bye bya baby and bye bye eomeoni!” 

Raising a questioning eyebrow towards the youngster, Luhan waved back and smiled, presuming that Zhoumi just liked to repeat phrases like all children did before looking down at Chan who was still drinking from him, “Man, you really were hungry, weren’t you little guy?” 

Yixing saw Leeteuk out of the door, glad to see that two other alphas were picking him and Zhoumi up, and from the way he embraced them both it was clear to see the love and affection he held for each one. Siwon stole him back for a moment with a playful growl towards the other two, kissing Leeteuk passionately on the lips before letting him go and fussing over Zhoumi who loudly called a goodnight to his Daddy before he was set into his car seat by Ryeowook and Heechul drove them away. 

Yixing blinked, “Zhoumi is yours?” 

Siwon nodded, a very proud smile on his face, “Yup, he’s our eldest and came up as a bit of a surprise because no one knew that Teuk was pregnant until the day that Zhoumi showed up.” 

“And the others don’t mind?” Yixing asked. 

The alpha grinned, shaking his head, “If they did, they would have a pissed off Leeteuk to deal with. He’s he glue that keeps us all together and makes it so that everything flows. If someone can’t accept our way of living, they’re not meant to be with us. Plus, Zhoumi is just an adorable gentleman to so he’s not a bother to anyone.” 

“Must get it from his father,” Yixing replied, ducking back into the house when there came a scared whimper from Xiumin. 

Thankfully, it turned out to just being a slight bit of disorientation due to Xiumin waking up and not being fully adjusted to his surroundings which caused him to panic. Kris was there to sooth the confused omega, along with Yixing and Luhan whilst Tao once again got to play Gege to Chan who seemed to be getting used to all this handing about without much fuss. Or maybe it was the fact that Tao kept him distracted with the rubber duck and his silly song, none of them would know. 

The Doctor deemed that Xiumin would have to go to hospital just to be fully checked over and tested, as he suspected there may be more underlying health conditions caused by the hack jobs that had been done on his lower body. He also wanted to check on the health of Chan and ensure that the cub was growing as best as he could be. There was a lot of stuff said that Kris didn’t understand but he knew that the Doctor was just trying his best to help and wanted to ensure the best course of treatment for his patient. 

Still it was not going to be an easy time at all and once Xiumin was sedated and on the stretcher, the alpha headed straight back to his remaining three omegas. Only to be immediately engulfed in a strong three way hug that toppled him to the ground. The air left his lungs for a few long seconds but when he could breath again, he could only smile brightly at his three precious omegas and kiss each one of them in turn. Yixing forcibly pulled him back after his kiss, “Just you bring him home with you, don’t leave him there at all. We’ll get some clothes and things for him and Chan and don’t worry about us.” 

“Yeah, we’ve got this,” Luhan said with a nod, “and don’t start with the million texts when you get your phone back either mister, because believe it or not we can look after ourselves just fine.” 

Tao smiled, “Message me as much as you want Gege, I’ll bug these two oldies for you instead.” 

Which immediately led to the trio having an tickle fight in the street but thankfully it only lasted a few seconds because Kris once again wrapped them up into his arms, gave them all a million more kisses each before finally heading into the back of the ambulance after confirming with Siwon that there was going to be protection in place for his omegas whilst he was away. 

He moved straight over to Xiumin, taking hold of his hand and giving it a good old squeeze, “There, we’ll just be going in for a day or so. You’ll be fine and safe, Xiumin, I promise you.” 

A wheezing sniff caught his attention and he turned to see Chan, back in wolf form, nuzzling at the side of his mother. Kris smiled, “You hungry little guy? We’ll have to find you some food when we get to the hospital. Don’t worry, your Mama is going to be fine. You’re both going to live with us and have everything you ever want. A loving family and no doubt lots of little brothers and sisters for you to play with soon. I love you Chan, never forget or question that, okay?” 

The cub responded by lightly nipping at the end of Kris’s fingers, clearly trying to get a drink out of them and Kris couldn’t help but just find it adorable and cute. 

They had a long road ahead of them, that much was clear, but at least both were going to be on the right track to getting healthy and happy, which was all that Kris wanted for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fluff fluff and more fluff. With a bit of sadness thrown in but all will be sorted and Xiumin and Chan are going to be safe and happy now. though can anyone now work out which Chan I'm using for the cubby? 
> 
> oh and for the (1), this is something I'm hoping Exo-L can remember cause it's a hark back to the Overdose album where everyone had codes on the box. I could not for the life of me remember which code actually belonged to Xiumin, I recalled vaugley that Tao and Lay's looked like their names which made it easier to deduct them, but I couldn't find which code belonged to who. I searched it online and came up empty too so if anyone does know that it would be a massive help. 
> 
> Also I wanna continue the thread of Leeteuk being the only omega to twelve idiot alphas cause I owe him a nice fluff filled story after Home with the Pack, would people be interested in that? I promise that I won't make it a sad ending and it would start off with OT9 casue otherwise it would just take forever to get back through. Let me know 
> 
> Right, more fluff next chapter cause I say so and I hope you all enjoy 


	10. Chapter 10

It was quiet on the ward but Kris suspected that it would be given that it was four am in the morning and by all rights he should have been curled up in the blanket fort with his omegas right now, after gorging themselves silly on popcorn and cake and watching whatever crazy idol show that Yixing had wanted to watch. Instead he was sitting in a hospital ward, keeping half an eye on Xiumin who was breathing steadily in his sedated slumber, with several machines connected to him to monitor every last aspect of his health and life, whilst at the same time playing with a very awake Chan who seemed intent on exploring everything. 

His little eyes weren’t even open yet and already he was so curious about the world around him. Not that Kris could blame the little one in the slightest of course, he couldn’t begin to imagine what all these smells were like to the young cub. Vaguely he wondered what would have become of Chan had Xiumin not been successful in stealing him away, but he pushed that thought to the side as he moved to pick the cub up from his determined shuffling back towards his mother. “No,” he gently dragged the syllables out to make it softer and longer than it needed to be, “You know that your Mama can’t give you milk sweetie. Come here, I’ve got some for you.” 

The nurses had confirmed that Chan was severely under weight and his hunger was a natural response. There were several wet nurses on the maternity wards that could provide the milk that the cub needed, but there had been a sharp incline of omegas giving birth that night, so they were all busy. Thankfully, they had an emergency supply of omega milk and strengthening supplements which was premixed in a bottle which little Chan had taken to thankfully. Though he still seemed to prefer trying to drink from an omega, another thing which was natural apparently. Setting the cub in his lap, Kris yawned as he reached across to pick up the premixed formula and gave it a good shake before guiding the still shuffling Chan to the bottle. 

There was a lot of strength in the cubs drinking, which brought a smile to Kris’s lips, “There you go, you’re going to be a strong boy aren’t you Chan? Yes, you are, you’ll be the best boy ever.” A slight blush crossed his face because he was cooing towards the cub, but there again, he was allowed to do so and no one was there to really tell him off about it either which was a good thing. 

Laughing at his silly behaviour, he glanced towards Xiumin with a sigh before looking back down at the cub. It was a little strange to be sitting there, nursing a cub that wasn’t his own, but Kris couldn’t find it in himself to even be remotely fussed by such a notion. Chan was an innocent cub, who had been brought into the world through means he had no control over and what right did Kris have to dislike him? Chan couldn’t have made any choices about how he got here, how he was conceived or even when he would be born, hell even Xiumin couldn’t have controlled that in the slightest but right at this moment in time, he was here, with Kris, suckling from a bottle in order to keep his little life going and that was all that mattered. 

The alpha smiled, brushing his fingers through the now very clean fur, “You’re going to have so many happy grandma’s waiting to fuss and spoil you, do you know that little one? Though you’ll be a surprise to them all, just like you were to me, but I promise you right here and now, you’ll always be my cub. You’re mine, little Chan.” 

Part of him knew that he was being soppy, that if anyone where nearby right now they would be all cooing and making embarrassing comments towards him, but Kris found he didn’t care. Sure, suddenly gaining an extra omega and a cub was not in their plan and there were going to be a hell of a lot of things to sort out and several thousand other pains in the neck like finances and medical bills and extra food and clothing but right at this moment that had all been pushed to the back of his mind. He had to focus on getting these two well and sorted again before he could even start to think straight about anything else. 

Though he already had the feeling that Yixing would have begun looking at things, as he was the most organised in the household when it came to finances and working out money distribution. As long as he didn’t get distracted by puppy videos or some inane show that Tao was watching of course. Thankfully Luhan would be there to snap him out of it and he didn’t have to worry too much about their budget getting raided for Xiumin and Chan’s necessities. Luhan was a bargain finder like no other and always seemed to be able to get the best deals on everything. When he had done Tao’s room it had cost less that 900 Yuan (£100/$126) which considering how much stuff a teenage boy would need was a pretty amazing price. Though Kris did have to wonder how much it would cost to add a new adult and an ever growing cub to the mix. Gently he shook his head though, feeling Chan pulling away from the bottle to start snuffling at his presence once again. 

“Yeah, I get it, I’m overthinking things,” he cooed lightly towards the cub, setting the bottle aside and pulling up a small blanket which had been left by the nursing staff for him earlier on. “But I’ve got a lot of new changes to think about Chan and you’ve come into our lives in such a fashion and I don’t quite know what to do with it all yet. But we’ll figure it out, huh little guy?” 

The cub responded with a burp and pawed happily at Kris’s chest before seeming to deem it a perfect place to fall asleep. Kris blinked and raised his eyebrows up at the cub, before shaking his head and leaning back on the chair. “Yeah, you should have been asleep hours ago, you little rascally tyke. Let’s just get you wrapped up in this and then I’ll have a little shut eye with you, and we can talk more in the morning.” 

With the blanket settled around the cub and the gentle warmth and softness resting on his chest, Kris leaned back and smiled steadily towards the still sleeping Xiumin before closing his eyes. “Just a little nap, nothing more,” he murmured to himself. 

Only waking up a good eight hours later when his other omegas visited with lunch, a change of clothes and a bag filled with stuff for Xiumin and Chan. Predictably Xiumin remained asleep throughout the visit but it was for the best to ensure that he was healing like he was meant to be. Plus, there were talks of operation schedules that were frightening to hear but understandable. Kris spent most of the visit on the phone to his work, explaining the situation and booking some time off, which they granted with next to no problems or questions, the only slight hiccup was that the bratty client was apparently in love with his work and had scheduled two meetings with him to not only create her upcoming outfit for an music video but also design a personal wardrobe for the summer fashion show next year. 

Kris had been floored by that request, it was one of the biggest events in the entire fashion calendar and it was reserved for only the best of the best. He was an intern who was still learning the trade and as much as he wanted to scream and yell about the opportunity, he did not trust the fact that he would be good enough for that yet. His boss however chided him for not having faith and badgered him into saying yes because he would be a fool not too. Even if the client didn’t take the designs fully to the event, it would still be an amazing catalogue to work on and would catch the eyes of many different people indeed. 

In comparison the trio of omegas had a much more relaxed visit, as they primarily focused on Chan, playing with the cub, feeding him and introducing him to the new toys and clothes. He seemed very taken with the basket bed they had gotten him, probably because it was large and soft and had little cushions he could burrow under and in his shuffling state he was very happy with it. “How long till his eyes open?” Tao asked, brushing Chan’s fur causing the pup to flop happily against his rubber duck which was clearly a favourite toy. 

Yixing blinked, having been reading over the medical notes on the cub, “Within the next few days, as they estimate him to be about two weeks old.” He paused and looked down at the cub before looking up at Xiumin in shock and surprise, “How the hell?” 

“There was a recent opening, it was extremely close to his groin,” Kris supplied, having returned to the trio, “They think it was done by either an ex-practitioner or a tribal pack because it’s the one that’s most healed.” 

Yixing sighed, “He shouldn’t have been moving after such a short time.” 

Kris gently ran his fingers through the others hair, “I know, but don’t worry baobei, he’s in the right place now and they’ll make sure that he’s perfectly safe and fine in the long run.” 

Tao tilted his head up towards Kris, “You need sleep Gege.” 

“I got plenty,” Kris said, ruffling the others hair which the youngster pulled back away from with a pout. 

“You passed out due to being exhausted, take another nap now, we’re here for a bit and you can rest,” Tao insisted, manhandling the alpha into the comfy chair and placing Chan’s blanket over him. He pouted when Kris tried to resist and ended up sitting on the others lap in order to pin him in place. “I’m going to stay here until you do fall asleep Kris, so you better give in right now because I can still kick your arse without trying.” 

Yixing laughed, “You best obey our kung-fu panda, Kris, you won’t win otherwise.” 

“It’s Wushu, thank you ever so much,” Tao snipped back playfully before returning to glare warningly at Kris only to find that the alpha had indeed closed his eyes and was going back to sleep. Tao grinned happily and snuggled close, getting a million and one cute selcas with his phone. 

Yixing shook his head and sighed, “Honestly, you are just too cute.” Turning his head to get Luhan to join in with his teasing of the baby panda, Yixing instead stopped when he once again found a baby human Chan tucked up against Luhan’s side, suckling away from him like it was the most perfectly natural thing in the entire world. A frown crossed his face, “How come it’s only you?” 

Luhan shrugged, “Maybe my hormones are just reacting faster, due to me being more able? You’re the trainee nurse, you should know more about it. But I’m sure you’ll be lactating soon Xing, then we won’t have to worry about milk for this one for an age.” 

“Hey, what about me?” Tao pouted, even though he had barely moved from his curled up position on Kris’s chest, “I can help to.” 

“Oh no, you’re staying an innocent baby for a while longer,” Yixing stated, pointing at Tao with a deadly serious expression, “You’re on the verge of your second heat enough as is; and you have your exams and university to go before you can even think of cubs, mister.” 

Tao pouted, “I didn’t say I want cubs of my own yet, I just want to help with Chan as much as possible.” 

“Keep doing what you’re doing then, Tao,” Luhan said, shifting a little, “He’s going to need a big brother growing up and you definitely fit that role better than any of us at the moment.” 

“Will I just be a big brother to your cub, Luhan?” Tao asked, pouting again which made both the elder omegas laugh aloud. 

“There’ll be no just about it,” Luhan replied, “You will be their big brother or uncle or additional Mama but I think we’ve got a while to go before that so just focus on this little bundle will you?” 

Opening his mouth to argue, Tao instead let out a sigh and shook his head before leaning back into Kris. “You’re all being benben’s, gege’s. I hope you know that.” 

Luhan gave the youngster a glare but was quickly distracted by Chan who had stopped feeding and was starting to shuffle around again. “Geeze, you’re a real little explorer, aren’t you?” Luhan chided gently before picking the baby up and placing him against his shoulder, “You ain’t going no where until you burp up properly. Though how your stomach is taking in so much food without you throwing up I seriously don’t know.” 

Yixing sighed, “He’s probably only just been getting enough from his Mama to survive. Poor little mite.” 

“Well we’re here for him now and it’ll all be fine,” Tao said, cutely letting out a little yawn, “Do you think they’ll let us stay here to the night?” 

“No way, it’ll be too crowded and they don’t want to disturb the other patients too much,” Yixing replied, stretching, “Plus someone needs to be home tomorrow to get the deliveries in as I’m back on day shifts for four days.” 

Luhan frowned, “I thought you had the weekend off?” 

“I did but there’s been a rota mix up so guess who has to cop it,” Yixing replied with a sigh but shook his head, “It’s no big deal really. Plus, it’ll bring in some extra money at the end of the month which heaven knows we’ll need.” 

“Yeah, I’ll talk to my boss and see if I can get a few more hours in, to help out,” Luhan replied softly, “Or I could take up the offer at the café cause that is better money and more hours again.” 

“But then you’ll have even longer shifts to worry about and as much as I know that Xiumin will be okay, we can’t always leave him alone in the house. Especially with Channie to consider,” Yixing replied with a sigh. “Though if the deal Kris was talking about comes off then that’ll majorly help out as well.” 

“I can help out too, you know,” Tao pouted from where he was still draped over Kris’s chest. 

The two older omegas turned to look at their youngest and smiled warmly at him, “Aww Taozi, you should focus on your studies more. That’s the most important thing for you right now.” 

The pout turned into a frown, “But I can help out and I want to help out.” 

“You’re helping out loads already, sweetie, don’t sweat it,” Luhan placated as best as he could as Chan happened to let out a huge burp just at that moment in time. “Trust me, we’ll manage just fine, so you don’t need to worry about doing anything else other than passing your exams.” 

Letting out a groan, Tao shook his head, “But I can’t just let you two run yourselves into the ground like that, it’s not fair. They’re looking for a teaching assistant at the dojo just around the corner from my school and it’s only a couple of nights a week and Saturday mornings which seeing as I’m up already for it makes sense. Plus, it’ll look really good on my university application forms, I can use it for extra credits and even start a teaching qualification with it too.” 

Yixing held up his hand towards the youngster with a questioning look on his face, “How did you even find out about that though? You weren’t thinking of any types of careers last time we asked you.” 

Looking a little bashful, Tao held back the blush that crossed his cheeks, “Well, Quian Legoshi asked me about it a little while ago because I helped out with the little ones when one of the other teachers was off sick and they all kept asking to have me back again. I’ve only done little stints with small groups, but I find it really fun and just…” 

“How many hours a week would it be?” Luhan asked, settling the baby Chan down into his basket where he immediately turned back into a wolf cub and started gumming at his rubber duck. 

“No more than ten,” Tao replied, sounding keen and eager, “Two week day evenings after school with the extracurricular activities program and then either a Saturday or Sunday morning. I’ll have full supervision the whole time and I get an hours break on the longer day so I don’t get over tired and they keep track of grades and exams and things so that I wouldn’t get overwhelmed and fall behind.” 

He paused and briefly pulled himself off Kris to dig into his bag to pull out a small brown folder, “Here’s all the info, I was going to ask about it anyway this weekend cause I just enjoy it so much.” 

Yixing took it and flipped through the pages, realising that it wasn’t just a cheap way to get extra assistance as it was a genuine recognised qualification and a pre-apprenticeship which could be converted into either an full teacher training apprenticeship at the end of high school or go as work experience credit worth up to twenty per cent, depending on final grades and scores, for a teaching university course. The first omega also spotted a brightly highlighted section in the back few pages with Quian’s neat handwriting about possible sponsorship options or training grants that came from just being on the program as well as an option to apply for a prestigious conjoined scholarship program. There were notes around the bottom with meeting dates and some extras underlined which clearly were designed to make Tao pay attention to them. 

Slowly he raised his head, “Are you sure you really want this Tao? You’ve still got time to make your choices you know.” 

Tao smiled widely, “I know but this just feels right you know?” he hopped off Kris to settle down next to the others and Chan, “It’s not going to bring in much as all at first, cause it’s only apprenticeship payments so it’s only going to give me like, one thousand five hundred yuan (approx. £166/$210) per month but it means I can put a little towards the house and food and yah!” 

Luhan had literally flung himself at Tao, cuddling him tight and knocking the pair of them over onto the floor. The resounding thump that came with it caused Chan to squeak in surprise and Yixing was caught between panic and laughing himself silly at the uttermost craziness of it had all. 

“Lu-ge!” Tao complained after a moment or two, seeing as Luhan was nuzzling into him and giving him the biggest scent bath ever, “Knock it off!” 

“Oh Tao! You don’t know how proud I am of you right now!” Luhan half yelled before placing a kiss on his cheek, “Seriously, why are you so cute and adorable and smart and just the freaking best kid ever!” 

Wriggling away, Tao hid behind Yixing with a whine, “What’s gotten into him?” 

Yixing laughed as he petted the boy, “Don’t worry about it, you’re just being so responsible and grown up that it’s freaking adorable and so charming that we just want to eat you up and keep you all safe and secure cause you’re just our baby panda!” 

“Gah! Let go of me,” Tao chided, as Yixing started to hug him and do the exact same as Luhan did before, though the glimmer in his eyes told everyone that he was really actually enjoying it all. “I’m just offering to help out, nothing more.” 

The two adult omegas however did not even respond to his statement, instead continuing to smother the youngster in love and affection. Even though Tao had only been with them less than a year, it was amazing to see just how much he had grown in that time. Part of them didn’t want to see it, because they wanted to baby the other a little more and help him through his second heat and all the wonderful mess that was going to bring with it. But to hear him so willing and ready to help out, even if it was just a tiny amount, was just the heart-warming medicine that they all needed right now. 

Finally, they pulled back for some much needed air when Chan started mewling and Luhan let out a fond sigh as he moved back to the cub, “You hungry again? Honestly, I think you’re just being a greedy little toe rag.” 

“I think he’s just getting the milk whilst he can,” Tao replied, stepping up carefully to go check on Xiumin who had slightly shifted towards their general direction when the cub’s whines had gotten too loud. Lightly he smoothed the others hair down and placed a kiss to his forehead like the others did, “It’s okay. Channie is fine. We’ve got him. You just rest Xiumin…” 

Yixing looked up from where he was cleaning the drool off of Kris’s face, “Why the pause?” 

“I don’t know which honorific to use,” Tao admitted shyly, “I mean, I know he should be a gege but what if he doesn’t like that or even want anything to do with me?” 

Luhan laughed, “Oh he’ll want to be friends with you Tao, don’t worry about that.” 

“But I don’t even know him, what if we don’t get on?” Tao asked, voicing his concerns because genuinely it was something that had been worrying him just a little. 

Yixing grinned, “You still smell enough like a cub that he’ll be all over you and fussing worse than what he did with us when he first met us. He’s a right mother hen and seeing as you’ve helped look after his cub, he’ll just be a proper fuss pot over you. Once he’s fully back up on his feet of course.” 

“Actually, I can’t wait for his lunches again,” Luhan replied, rocking back and forward once again as he fed Chan. “They were the best.” 

There came a groan from Yixing, “Oh, don’t remind me. I hope he can still cook after all this. It would be lush to taste his food again.” As Yixing moved to step away from Kris an arm shot out to catch his own and tug him back for a hug which slightly surprised the omega but then he grinned, “Uh-oh, we’ve got cuddle monster Kris incoming.” 

“Joys,” Luhan replied, glancing towards Tao who looked confused, “When he gets sick with either stress, worry or an actual illness, our alpha turns into the biggest cuddler ever and there’s no escape.” 

“I escaped,” Tao pointed out, then pouted as he turned to see Yixing back in his spot, being firmly cuddled by the alpha. 

However, Yixing grimaced a little at the hold and nipped at Kris’s nose to get him to loosen the grip. “Yeah, he does it the first few times until you’re more used to the strength that comes with it. Seriously it’s like getting hugged by a grizzly bear who will not let go of you for the rest of the night.” 

Processing this, Tao grinned, “Ha, oh well, looks like we’re staying a little longer then.” He turned back towards the still sleeping Xiumin, glad to see that he looked more relaxed now and combed some of the sweaty strands of hair out of the others thin face. “Though I think Xiumin follows him a little more too, he’s got a grip on my hand that’s pretty tight.” 

Luhan snorted, “Great, Yixing get’s cuddles, Tao gets cute hand holding and I get a very hungry and messy baby to deal with.” He shook his head down at Channie before lightly pulling him off his nipple. Chan whined and Luhan sighed, “I know you’re still hungry, just that one hurts a bit now so you’re going to have to go on the other one. Seriously, so glad that there’s not two of you to feed cause my nipples would just fall off.” 

Tao cast a glance towards Yixing who just chuckled and smiled back as he settled down. He then looked back towards Luhan but the elder was still more focused on the baby in his arms. “Though tell your Uncle Yixing to hurry up and start lactating too, then I don’t have as much of a job to do.” 

Letting out a sigh, Tao shook his head and face palmed himself, turning back towards Xiumin where he whispered under his breath, “How bloody oblivious are you, gege?” 

“What did you say?” Luhan snapped in a slightly mothering tone towards the youngest. 

“Nothing,” Tao replied in a sweet singsong voice, “I was just talking to Xiumin.” He looked back down at the sleeping omega and sighed, ignoring Luhan’s twittering in the background. “You know what I mean, right, Xiu-gege?” 

For a second there was just the slightest upturn of the corners of the others mouth before he settled back down. Tao smiled happily and fell into a happy silence with the others, as they just watched over their little family and prayed that everything would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much fluff, more fluff than I think anyone can handle but meh it's fun to write fluff   
> Next chapter will be a bit more serious but not too drama filled hopefully
> 
> And companion piece is up, Twelve is the Super Junior fic with Leeteuk and his twelve idiot alphas and cute babies to deal with. Feel free to check it out. Numverse may end up growing if things keep on going this way. Random series name until I can come up with a better one but please feel free to suggest! 
> 
> Also curious to note if anyone has spotted something that I've been hinting at for the last couple of chapters, other than who Chan is - in case you haven't figured, Chan is none other than BangChan of Stray Kids cause gosh darn it that Aussie is just too adorable for his freaking good and he fits in well with Xiumin as his Mama. So the rest of the cubs, when they eventually turn up, will also be Stray Kids too. 
> 
> Which is going to be chaotic, I think Suju are going to get their two missing babies (Zhou Mi and Henry) and then either Twice or Itzy but we shall see. Hope you enjoy


	11. Chapter 11

Tao was done with his family. 

Not in a particularly bad way, there was no way he was planning to pack up his bags and leave home, not in the slightest, but he was just so done with all of them. Whilst he was technically considered to be the youngest, Chan did not count because bless his little heart he was still just a baby who had taken to exploring everything with a way too curious fascination, it still infuriated Tao at just how blind all his gee’s were being at the moment. 

Though if he was rational at the moment, they did have their fair share of reasons to not notice something that was getting more obvious by the day. But he was still so done with them. 

Kris was understandably a complete ball of stress and anxiety, having to balance his time between work and visits to the hospital, consent forms, queries from the police, updates from Siwon, trying in vain to sort the finances out whenever he had a spare moment and then also trying to fit in small little breaks so that he could give some attention to all of his omegas, plus his new son once in a while. There had been more than enough times over the last month that Tao had come home from school, to find the alpha passed out on the table with some form or other stuck under his head and it had taken everything in the omega not to force him to take more days off and just relax. However, Tao also knew to expect this because he had gone through the same thing when separated from Kris, though granted it was under different circumstances and he fully understood now why the alpha had stopped visiting him at one point. It hurt too much, knowing that he had to go and poor Xiumin was still in the hospital recovering. Kris needed him home, needed him safe within the loving pack that he knew and trusted so he could settle some of the madness rushing through his head and mind. But the omega also needed the best medical attention possible at the moment, which meant that he couldn’t come home. 

It made Tao feel sick to think what hell Xiumin must have gone through to need constant twenty-four hour medical attention. However, that thought wasn’t usually able to take seed for too long as there was still so much else going on that focusing on one thing was impossible. 

Yixing was next on the hit list of being so done with, because the lovely idiot was pushing himself far too hard. He was working his normal training shifts, then picking up extra and doing emergency call outs as well. Apparently, it was all good money and a little extra never hurt but working nearly eighty hours a week was not good for the mind, body or soul. But anytime that Tao tried to question the other, he just got that beautiful dimple smile and was told not to worry as everything would be okay. Even on the night when the elder had collapsed after tripping and bashed his nose causing a massive bleed, the idiot had still gotten up for work the next day and gone in, after only four hours of sleep. This was after working three twelve hour shifts with a six hour call out in between too. Every time he tried to tell Yixing to rest and not make himself sick with all the extra work, Tao was cooed at, told he was adorable and then asked about his schoolwork or how the apprenticeship application was coming along. A blind man on a horse could see how exhausted the other was, how there had been a dip in the others energy levels and his weight but would he listen to reason, not at all. 

Then there was poor Xiumin, but Tao wasn’t really done with him. He was more concerned for the omega’s wellbeing and a little worried and stressed about how life would go once they actually got him back home. There would be no easy way to fit the omega into their lives, that much was certain as there was medical concerns, psychological concerns and just a whole heap of other concerns that usually left Tao’s head spinning. They had gotten along well with visits; the two elder omegas being proved right in the fact that Xiumin was already acting like a complete mother hen with the youngest omega and was always checking on him to ensure that he was fine. Or that Chan had eaten that day, that Chan was safe and being played with and growing so big and strong. It was adorable, seeing the real motherly side of Xiumin and Tao sort of got the idea about how much Xiumin cared for Chan, because he cared for the cub too. What he was done with was the fact that Xiumin couldn’t seem to be stabilised no matter what the doctors did to him and there wasn’t a day that went by, it felt, when there wasn’t a phone call from the ward to inform them of something else going wrong or a different type of drug being administered. It did not help anyone’s stress levels in the slightest and often left the other omegas feeling lonely because inevitably Kris would have to disappear once again. He was always full of apologise and hugs though, and he would frequently bring them in extra treats to make up for it, but nine times out of ten by the time the alpha got back, everyone would be asleep and the treats would eventually be found the next day when another emergency was underway. 

Those were becoming the hardest moments for Tao, because usually when he found the treats there was only himself and Luhan around. Which in one way was great but in another, Tao was so done with him. Actually, Luhan was the one that Tao was the most done with, though not for anything that the omega had done. It was everything that Luhan wasn’t doing at the moment which was driving Tao completely insane and the youngest omega couldn’t get how the elder wasn’t getting it. Luhan hadn’t been able to swap jobs yet, as a temp worker had gone to the café he had planned but it was only some work experience placement and there would probably be an vacancy in a month or so, so he continued to work in his little book shop. It so happened that there was a little baby and toddlers’ area in the shop due to the owner’s mate having a litter and it was easier to work with the babies having their own area to just be safe in. Chan loved it, snuffling around and making everything just the way that he liked, his eyes were now open, and the world was definitely becoming his in every sense of the word. 

So Luhan was able to work and babysit Chan at the same time which saved them money and a whole lot of problems, and whilst he picked up a few extra hours there wasn’t too much stress to be caused by a book shop. What was annoying Tao was that Luhan still seemed completely oblivious to the reason why he was nursing Chan the most out of the other omegas. Yixing had started lactating, a good week after Chan’s arrival in the house and Xiumin was already providing him milk so each visit the cub got to drink from his Mama. Tao was a little annoyed that he hadn’t started lactating but after a little research he discovered that it was usually only after the fourth or fifth heat that an omega really became ready to be a mother in all senses so he had a while to go. Luhan still insisted that it was just due to his more feminine hormones that he was lactating far earlier than he should have been, though completely ignored a bunch of other signs too. 

He had started collecting blankets and sheets for his bed, making it cosy and warm, or more correctly building a den as Tao had commented once but it had gone straight over Luhan’s head. He ate more, regularly, even when he hadn’t been doing much and got pains in his back and ankles which was not normal for Luhan in the slightest. He’d also started wanting to eat chilli powder on everything, despite the fact that it wasn’t good for him and he usually disliked chilli powder too. He had also started to gain a little weight, plus a gentle glow to his skin and he seemed happiest when he was snuggling with Chan. 

Tao was starting to almost gag with the smell of milk that was coming off the other as well and he was so done with the subtle approach now that he knew that he had to take some form of action. He had left out baby books, gotten a few mothers weekly magazines and after getting his allowance had doubled the weekly shop on baby items for Chan. All of which had just been brushed aside as him being cute and trying his best to make everyone’s lives easier. Which was why he was done with his whole family and had decided that he had to take matters very much into his own hands. If he was wrong, then it was sure to become a good joke for everyone, but his instincts were screaming that he was right. Plus at least once a week Leeteuk visited and he pretty much agreed with Tao that Luhan was pregnant and either deliberately ignoring the signs or else being too caught up in the world to notice them himself. 

Even little Zhoumi had clicked on, asking constantly about when the new cub would arrive so that he and Chan could have a new playmate but everyone else thought that it was Leeteuk who was pregnant and no one else. 

So, it was on a brisk Thursday evening, as the clock ticked around to seven thirty, that Tao finally decided that he had had more than enough, and he was going to take matters into his own hands. A text message had come through, asking if he could pick up some more milk for Chan on the way home, Yixing was once again at work, Kris was visiting Xiumin and Luhan was doing a book launch with Chan so there was no chance of him getting a lift home. Thankfully, it wasn’t too dark yet, so Tao wasn’t fussed about the walk home, yet, but he had a mission in mind tonight and going to the convenience store to get milk was a perfect way to get it achieved. 

It was going to cause hell but, like was said before, he was so done with his family being blind to something so obvious that he was going to take matters very much into his own hands now. 

“Yo, Tao,” a boy with a bright smile called out to him as he started packing up his things, “Me and guys are hitting the arcades tonight, want to come?” 

Shaking his head, Tao smiled back, “Sorry, Xiaojun, I have family matters to deal with tonight.” 

The boy pouted for all of two seconds but then brightened up, “I supposed that’s the downfall of finding your alpha so young. Oh well, maybe next time yeah?” 

Tao nodded and finished packing everything into his backpack, “Yeah, maybe next time.” 

Waving his friend off, Tao pulled his backpack on and ensured that he collected his umbrella and shoes from the correct cubby before setting off. There were no rain clouds blocking the sky, which was a relief, as he really did hate walking by himself in the dark, but tonight nothing and no one was going to frighten him off his self-assigned task. He owed it to Luhan as much as he owed it to himself for his own sanity. Though he did wonder how he was going to get around some rather uncomfortable questions. 

Thankfully his favourite cashier was on the till that night, a much too young boy who had the coldest expression on his face ever, which at first had been quite scary for the far taller but he had quickly come to learn that there was a genuinely sweet, caring boy behind the look. He just had issues and wouldn’t trust anyone who looked like an alpha in the slightest. Putting his purchases on the desk, Tao grinned at the boy, “How are you tonight?” 

“Good,” came a quiet reply. 

Tao nodded, “School okay?” 

“Dunno,” the boy replied, shrugging lightly as he started to scan the items through the till. 

Deflating a little, Tao sighed, “Did you spend all day in here again?” 

Shrugging, the boy did not reply but Tao was used to this. It was either one word answers or else a shrug. Sometimes he got worried about someone so young working here, at crazy hours, but there was never any reported trouble and other than looking like he was in a permanent sulk, there was nothing to suggest that he was in any kind of trouble or needed help. Maybe a good meal and lots of hugs but Tao couldn’t begin to even try to figure out how to start that conversation off. 

Picking up one of the final boxes in his hands, the younger boy blinked at the packaging and rose his head up slowly to look at Tao with a raised eyebrow. A blush crossed the omegas features, “It’s not for me, it’s for one of my pack mates.” 

Blinking again, the boy sighed and pressed a button, “Hyung?” 

“Yes?” came a soft but tired voice.   
“Need you,” was all that the boy said before releasing his hold on the button. 

For a few seconds everything was quiet and just a touch on the awkward side. Then a small man appeared from around the back of counter, looking as though he had just woken up from a rushed nap. He was smaller than both the boys, with a round face and gentle almond eyes and a scent of chocolate milk buttons which was just plain cute. Tao felt like he could immediately curl up in this man’s arms and be content for many hours. “What’s wrong?” the new man asked, looking tiredly towards the younger but taller one. 

The boy held up the pregnancy test and the new man let out a sound of understanding, “Okay, I’ll put it through. You should go and get started on your homework.” 

“Don’t want to,” came the stoic reply but the boy still slinked off to the back area. 

The new man just sighed and blew out a long breath, “Sorry if he was rude towards you.” 

Tao shook his head, “Nah, he’s fine. We usually have those types of conversations.” 

Turning his head to look at the other omega, as he began putting through the codes for the pregnancy test after confirming it wasn’t for the customer in front of him, the cashier seemed to take a few moments. “Oh, you must be the boy he talks about from time to time. Not that we discuss customers often of course.” 

Tao grinned back, “I can imagine.” 

“Though do you mind me asking why you’re buying this for a packmate?” the cashier asked gently. 

“Because he’s being a twit and not realising what is so obvious,” Tao replied honestly, shaking his head. “So, I’m taking a rather direct approach.” 

The cashier smiled, “I hope it doesn’t get you into too much trouble.” 

“Only a whole lot of teasing if I turn out to be wrong, which quite frankly I don’t think I will be but we shall see,” taking the bag of groceries from the smaller man, he smiled before bowing towards him, “Thank you for these.” 

The man bowed back, “Thank you for your custom.” 

Grinning Tao set off back into the street, sure that he was on the right track now with everything. The cashier blinked and turned slowly back towards the staff area where his little brother was peering curiously out of. “He’s a taken omega, sweetie,” he smiled gently towards the younger, ruffling his hair, “You’d do good to try to make friends with him.” 

For a moment, a look of hope and longing crossed the youngster’s eyes before it was replaced with the cold shield that he always wore. Shaking his head, he stepped away from the gently touch and headed towards the table where there was some homework set out, but the cashier had no faith that it would even get touched tonight. There was no way of getting through to Shixun when he was in this mood, Jinjun knew that but sometimes he really wished that it were possible to do. But for now, all he could do was sit, hope and pray for a miracle that couldn’t happen. 

The door jangled, signalling another customer and Jinjun turned with a smile on his face and his own prayer that the customer in question was not an already drunk alpha. There were already too many of those in his life and he could not stand the thought of what could happen if one were to come across him now. 

~*~

The blanket was new, it was fuzzy and filled with odd little balls that made his nose twitch and it was big and heavy and just so snuggly and warm, that Chan absolutely loved it. It was definitely his new favourite blankie here in the book shop and he was going to keep it forever as his own. Rolling about in the blanket, he squeaked happily at finding the lining was smooth and that there were little burrows that he could fit inside, and this was just so much fun. 

“Chan?” came a voice from somewhere above him, but in all this dark fluff the little cub couldn’t see where the voice was coming from. Though he knew it well and let out a squeak to let the omega know that he was safe. Which immediately brought out a series of noises that were not quite exclamations of words, not that Chan understood them fully let, and the next thing the little cub knew he was being hauled up by his tail and being pulled out of his new little warm, fuzzy den. Something which he did not apricate in the slightest by the wriggling and whining that he did. 

“No,” Luhan scolded the cub, pulling him away gently, “Chan, that is a coat, not your blankie! You can’t go stealing it just because it accidentally fell into your play pen.” 

A disgruntled noise came from Chan towards Luhan, who just glared straight back, “Less of the attitude puppy, I know you’re getting tired and want your own bed, but you can’t go stealing someone’s coat.” 

“It’s really all right,” the woman who owned the coat said, laughing as she caught sight of the adorable cub in the others hands, “He’s far too young to know the difference and who could say no to those little eyes.” She cooed towards the cub, who looked at her a bit bewildered before air-scurrying towards Luhan, as he was still being held a little way away from Luhan’s body, as nerves overtook making the wolf cub want to cling to someone safe, familiar and far bigger than him. Rolling his eyes skywards, Luhan pulled the cub closer and began to pet him, “Seriously, Chan, you are just the biggest wimp on the planet.” 

“Bless, how old is he?” the woman asked, cooing gently towards Chan who was having none of it and was trying to hide in Luhan’s hair. 

“A few months,” Luhan said, trying to bring the cub back down, “He’s just acting up because he’s out of routine.” 

“Aww, is Mommy keeping you awake with all these people buying books?” the woman teased towards the cub and Luhan would have corrected her bar he was just too tired right now to even care. The book launch had been a great success, the place had been teaming with customer’s and everyone came away with a signed book by the author and a fair few had picked up additional books to. The till practically wouldn’t close with all the money in it, so that was a great thing indeed. But Luhan was tired and just wanted to head home and go to bed. 

Chan hid his face in his armpit and refused to come out until the lady was dragged away by her husband and the omega smiled tightly at her leaving. There was a lot of mess to clean up and the shop to reorganise, but the owner chuckled towards him, “I don’t know which of you is more tired, Luhan, you or this little rascal.” 

“Me,” Luhan said, moving as if to pass Chan to the owner of the shop because the cub really seemed to like him and it was always a good idea to give the cub to someone when there was cleaning to be done. It saved getting into random tug of war fights that were distracting even if they didn’t last more than a few seconds. “I’ll have this all sorted in about ten minutes though.” 

“Oh no you won’t,” the man said, shaking his head, “You’ll do yourself a favour and get yourself bundled up and on the way home. Both you and baby need the rest.”   
“But it won’t take me long,” Luhan pouted, hating to leave his work unfinished. 

“You’ve been working all day and don’t think I didn’t notice you not taking a break, Luhan,” the man smirked, “You omegas always try to push yourselves so hard that it makes us alphas worry so much.” 

Luhan sighed, “You worry about everyone anyway, Jay.” 

“It’s my job to worry about everyone,” Jay replied, “But tonight you really need to go home and rest up. We’ve made more than enough so take tomorrow as a free rest day and just chill.” 

Opening his mouth to argue once again, Luhan was cut off by a wagging finger and a wicked grin, “Plus you have to go home now or I have to put up with a certain whiny panda boy bugging me about that manga volume he wants.” 

“Yah, I’m not that bad, Jay Park,” Tao said, sticking his tongue out rudely towards the elder who just laughed it off, “I only asked for it once.” 

“I know, it’s just fun to tease you,” Jay replied, shaking his head, and watching as Chan immediately started squeaking and wriggling excitedly to get towards his clearly favourite gege. “Hopefully on Monday I’ll be able to confirm stock for you.” 

“Thank you,” Tao beamed, accepting the wriggling Chan from Luhan who looked just as done with the world as everything else today. “Yes, hello Chan. It’s me, I know you haven’t seen me all day, but I don’t quite need a bath yet.” 

Luhan snorted as he picked up his stuff, “Oh that you very much do. I can smell you from here.” 

“I’ve not been to practice so I do not smell,” Tao said, shifting his position a little to try and manage holding the bag from the shop and Chan as well. 

“You stink of study hall though,” Luhan pulled an expression, “Seriously, how you can stand it I don’t know.” 

Frowning, Tao took a sniff of himself and then poked a finger into Luhan’s shoulder, “Gege is being mean!” 

“You’re just too easy to tease,” Luhan replied with a smirk, finishing putting on his coat. “Come on, let’s get home and see what chaos is waiting for us there.” 

“Tao, make sure he gets some rest tomorrow,” Jay called after the retreating trio, “He’s been on his feet all day and it’s no good for him or the baby.” 

Luhan rolled his eyes, “Chan is fine!” 

“Huh?” Jay replied and Tao rolled his eyes, shaking his head before ducking out of a slap that came towards his head. The pair disappeared and Jay shook his head in disbelief. Though a chuckle from his mate caused him to turn around, “Some don’t realise for a long while, especially with first pregnancies. I think the babies will soon get it into his thick skull.” 

“I hope so,” Jay said with a sigh, “I don’t want to have to force him onto maternity leave in a few months.” 

~*~

Yixing jolted awake with a surprised sounding grunt when Chan was unceremoniously dropped into his lap and it took him more than a few seconds to figure out just what was going on. Mainly because he had been in too much of a deep nap to start with and also because it always took him a while to fully wake up. Though with a hyper puppy on your lap, licking your face to death it surprisingly did not take that long in the slightest to come fully to. “Hey guys,” Yixing said groggily, wiping uselessly at his face, “Thought you weren’t meant to be home yet.” 

“Err, no, that’s meant to be you,” Luhan said, glancing at the calendar to check, “I thought you were on shift, again, tonight?” 

“Got sent home,” Yixing replied, leaning back on the pillows almost as if he meant to immediately snuggle down onto them and go to sleep. “Apparently someone worked out how many hours I was…” 

“Finally,” Luhan said, groaning slightly as he pulled a blanket off the back of one of the other chairs and threw it over Yixing, “Go to sleep for about a week, would you?” 

Laughing from the kitchen counter, Tao shook his head as he set about sorting out his bag of things and put some of the formula aside to make up for Chan. Luhan wandered across almost absently and started pulling cups from the cupboards, “Where’s Kris?” 

“Hospital called,” Yixing replied quietly, “Some forms and Xiu needed…” 

“Sleep Xing,” Tao called, moving quickly to grab a wandering Chan before the cub could end up on the floor and he playfully threw the cub above his head. “Though may have to play tug of war with this one to tire him out too. Wish I knew where you got all your energy from Chan.” 

“He’s a cub,” Luhan said, sighing as he started sorting out the boxes on the table which Tao had left behind, “There’s only two modes, asleep or hyper.” 

Tao chuckled, “Well I guess our baby is in hyper mode.” 

“He was trying to make a home out of a ladies coat before you came to the shop,” Luhan stated before pausing, the words he wanted to say dying on his throat as he picked up one of the boxes. He blinked at it in question and then glanced worried towards Tao, “Why the hell have you bought a pregnancy test?” 

Tao blinked and then smiled, “Oh that’s for you gege.” 

Luhan looked dumbfounded towards the youngster, “What?” 

“The test, it’s for you,” Tao replied, shifting himself to the floor where there was a play mat in bright colours with lots of toys scattered all over it, but straight away Chan dived on his favourite duck. 

Shaking his head, Luhan opened and closed his mouth a few times before blowing out a long stream of air. “Tao…” 

“No, Luhan, the test is for you,” Tao cut in with a genuine smile on his face, “Because I think you are pregnant.” 

The elder frowned, “You’re barely out of being a cub yourself, what makes you think that you know when someone’s pregnant?” 

“You were lactating on the day that Chan arrived in our lives,” Tao replied straight away to the other, “and I don’t care for your explanation of having different hormones because you’re built differently to me and Yixing. You were already lactating, because normally it would have only been the next day that you would have been able to feed Chan, not the same day he turned up unless you happened to know in advance that he was coming here but given the screams that day you didn’t so that rules that out. You’ve changed your eating habits, have been making a den in your bedroom and you hate chilli powder but have been putting it on everything of late.” 

It was almost comical watching Luhan’s face as he tried to work out how to counter any of the comments that had just been flung his way or come up with a reasonable explanation other than what Tao was stating. The younger omega didn’t even gloat, instead focusing on Chan who was pawing at one of the other rope toys and making little growling noises. 

“Since you went and bought the damn thing, you’re not going to let up on it are you?” Luhan stated in a deadpan after five minutes of wrestling with himself. 

Tao shook his head, “Nope, not until you take it. Hey, stop trying to eat the string mister, that’s bad for you.” Pulling the toy away from Chan to get rid of the string, an annoyed huff came out of Tao’s lips when the cub immediately pounced on the next toy that he wanted to play with. A large stuffed rabbit that was bigger than himself but had lost half the stuffing because the cub had ripped a hole in the side and liked to burrow inside it. He had a thing for doing that, which was explained away as just cubbish behaviour because in the wild a cub would stay in the den for the better part of four months before venturing outside. 

Luhan rested his chin on the palm of his hand, “When this turns out negative, what do I get?” 

For a second Tao thought about it, “Your favourite bubble tea bought for you every week for a month?” 

A smirk crossed Luhan’s face, “Okay, that’s reasonable.” 

“What do I get when I’m right?” Tao called over, pulling Chan out of the rabbit and blowing on the end of his nose. 

A laugh came his way, “Ain’t happening pup.” 

“No fair, I should get something too,” Tao pouted, adorably, “I offered you something even though you’re wrong.” 

Rolling his eyes, Luhan let out a sigh and thought about what he could give Tao if the other proved to be right. It would have to be something worthwhile but not something that would break the bank. Bubble Tea was a treat once a week so it wasn’t going to break anyone’s bank and Tao would probably buy them all some on the way home after classes on a Saturday anyway. Lightly he pursed his lips and then was hit by a lightbulb moment. “If you’re right, which you are not, I’ll give you the Bonus Card so you can take Kris on a date.” 

Stars literally exploded out of Tao’s eyes at the mention of that. The Bonus Card was a card which got allocated points whenever they spent a certain amount at stores or on fuel or other such places. Once enough points had been built up, they could be turned into different things. A pair of cinema or theatre tickets, a meal voucher for a fancy restaurant, access to a theme park and other similar treats. Kris had got it originally as a way for him to have expensive dates without the price tag and originally it had swapped back and forth between Yixing and Luhan throughout their university years. When Tao had been introduced, they had to change the system a little bit and make it a three month rota between them. Of course, at times they swapped who had the card and both Yixing and Luhan had had two dates a piece out of the card before Xiumin had showed up so in Luhan’s mind Tao really did deserve it anyway. Not that he hadn’t had any exclusive dates with Kris of course, just life had gotten a little hectic. 

“Deal!” Tao grinned back, giggling, “Now go take it!” 

Rolling his eyes, Luhan sighed, “Fine, but just be prepared to carry lots of bubble tea.” 

“Ha, I’m already planning my date thank you very much!” Tao called, ignoring the half groan that came from Yixing as he flung a pillow over towards the two youngest. Sticking his tongue out towards the other, Tao was distracted by the sound of the front door opening and Chan grumbled only a little as he was scooped up to be rushed through the air to greet a very tired looking Kris at the door. 

Kris blinked a little in surprise at having a yipping puppy straight in his face but a large gummy smile soon replaced it as he pulled the adorable puppy into his chest, followed by Tao who got an extra long kiss for no reason other than the fact that alpha needed to. “Evening.” 

“Evening,” Tao echoed back, steadying Chan’s bottom as the cub was wriggling, “How’s Xiumin?” 

“Complaining about the food and wanting to just come home now,” Kris replied, handing the cub over and ruffling Tao’s hair, “Remind you of anyone?” 

“Yep,” Tao grinned, heading back towards the play mat with the cub. 

Kris frowned at seeing an almost asleep Yixing on the sofa and leant over the back to place a kiss onto the soft lips, “You finally break or did the management?” 

A hand swatted at him playfully as Yixing settled down, “Shush, trying to sleep.” 

“You’ll do better in a bed,” Kris said, shifting around to scoop the omega up into his arms, “Heaven knows you need a proper night’s rest Xing.” 

Mumbling a bit, Xing shifted to better lean against Kris, “Going to be…run off…feet…soon” 

“Oh really, why’s that?” Kris grinned. 

“Cubs,” Yixing replied, on the verge of passing out again, “Lots of cubs.” 

A frown crossed the alpha’s face as he looked down towards the now sleeping omega in his arms but before he could even begin to start asking questions, he picked up a whiff of anxious disbelief and spun around. Standing at the opposite end of the kitchen, looking as pale as a ghost, was Luhan who was apparently staring at something in his hands. Tears were quick to form in his eyes and start dripping down his face and the alpha panicked. 

Yixing was placed quickly, but safely, down on the sofa and then the alpha was straight across to his second omega, “Luhan? Baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself or something? Talk to me.” 

Luhan slowly raised his head up towards his alpha, more tears flowing down from his eyes before he suddenly flung himself at the alpha and started bawling his eyes out. Kris was beyond confused and could only hold onto the omega, trying his best to sooth the other soul. “Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Kris spoke gently, trying to get Luhan to let go, “Luhan, talk to me please?” 

“Ha! Yes, I knew it!” Tao said suddenly from behind the pair, making them both jump in surprise and Kris turned to look over his shoulder at the youngest omega who was now holding onto a long white tube, “Knew it, knew it, knew it.” 

“Knew what?” Kris asked, sounding just as bewildered before Yixing suddenly appeared to clip Tao around the ear and grab the white device from the youngster’s hands. “Man, I’m never going to get any sleep with you lot screa…oh my god, Luhan!” suddenly Yixing was yelling, staring at the device in his hands and clearly one hundred per cent away now. 

“Someone fill me in one what’s going on here?” Kris snapped, knowing that he shouldn’t really but he was tired, it had been a long day and his stress levels were already through the roof with Xiumin wanting nothing more than to come home and now a crying Luhan in his arms and the other two screaming loudly. Chan even joined in with a sort of howl, but he was just reacting to the noise. 

“I’m pregnant,” the words were whispered against his skin, but the affect was instantaneous to the alpha. All of his senses immediately homed in on Luhan, noting the difference in his smell, the slight glow to his skin and just the tiniest hint of a baby bump forming. In seconds, the alpha was down on his knees, ear pressed up against the others stomach as he closed his eyes. It took far longer than he would have liked to admit and he later blamed it on all of the confusing emotions which were running around his heart and mind at that point in time, plus the noise that the other three were making over the sound of Luhan crying, but after a lot of concentration he could just hear the tiny little heartbeat. 

His Luhan was indeed pregnant, carrying his cub and a whole new wave of love washed over Kris as he stood up, scooped the still crying omega into his arms and spun him around before kissing him. Luhan looked completely shook up by the reaction and stared in bewilderment towards Kris, “What?” 

“I’m so happy,” Kris replied, all teeth and gums as he smiled, clearing the tears away from Luhan’s face with his large fingers, “And so should you be.” 

“But what the hell are we going to do?” Luhan wailed, “We’re only just getting by as is, Xiumin’s going to need all the care and attention going and you can’t be fussing over the pair of us and going to work and being a good alpha to Tao and Xing as well as look after Chan! How’s he going to feel? He’s just a baby I know but he’s going to know, and I can’t even think what our finances are going to be like and…” 

“Luhan, Lu…shush baobei,” Kris said, placing kisses onto Luhan’s face, “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out.” He stopped the other from arguing by placing his finger over the others lips, “It’s not going to be easy but you knew that we were going to be an omega pack and inevitably that’s going to mean things like this at times. We can work it all out but do not think for a second that I’m going to favour any of you over anyone else at any time. You are all my mates; you are all my priority and all of our future cubs together will be mine and they will be looked after and cherished. Chan will probably just be happy to have a play mate and as far as I’m concerned, I am his father, just as much as this little one in here is mine.” 

“But…I just…I didn’t plan…” Luhan said. 

“I know, we know, it’s a shock and everything but…honestly Luhan, you’ve made me so happy and so proud,” Kris replied, pulling the omega into his chest. “Now get all the pack dynamic crap out of your head and just enjoy the fact that we’re going to have a cub, one of our own?” 

For a seconds Luhan looked like he was going to explode in the wrong temperament but then he smiled the brightest smile ever and whilst he was still crying it was clear that it was now from tears of joy. Yixing and Tao joined in on the hug and no one started teasing each other, just yet. They shared in the moment of their family growing again and becoming stronger as a pack together. 

Chan tilted his head slightly from where he had been left on the play mat and then went back to his newest game of moving different toys about on the mat. Though he did let out a little yawn and pad over to his favourite duck with the intention of chewing a little bit more, but in typical cub fashion, fell asleep on it not five minutes later. He was content with the world and that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and more fluff, an finally getting things through to Luhan's thick skull, and Chan just being the most adorable ball of fluff ever  
> Hope you all enjoyed   
> Xiumin will feature more next chapter, just couldn't quite fit him in during this one   
> Anyone else want more cute Bang Chan? He is too easy to write with 
> 
> Oh and I wonder if any eagel eyes will spot something else in this chapter too


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors note: incoming cuteness, fluff and smut

Not even being the least bit ashamed of the noises that he was making in the slightest, Xiumin moaned out his pleasure loudly as Kris smoothly slid into his body for probably the hundredth time in the past number of days but the omega couldn’t find a single reason to complain. He especially had to admit that he adored the way the alphas lips moulded to his, kissing him with enough passion that it was very easy to get lost in the moment but also with enough respect behind it that if Xiumin felt uncomfortable then it was easy to break out of. His heart was already beating out a very fast pace from all of their love making prior but if it could, he was sure that it would have tripled it speed because honestly, Xiumin knew that he was getting spoilt. 

This alpha was unlike all the other alphas, this alpha actually cared for him. Actually, wanted to make this a pleasurable experience for him. Yes, it sure sucked when his heat had struck, Xiumin had not been particularly thrilled to realise what was happening to his body once again because of whatever that horrible pack had done to him, but unlike all the other times when he would try to hide it for days in the hopes of at least getting a little rest, this time he didn’t have to. 

Because Kris had walked into his room and known instantly what was going on. But there came no anger from the alpha, no immediate demands or shouting as to what Xiumin was supposed to do or where he should go, there was just a silent understanding conversation that had passed between the pair as their eyes met. Kris had backed out of the room, slowly, allowing Xiumin all of the control over the situation before letting the other omegas in and going to find a doctor or someone. 

Luhan had been the first to approach, looking worried and concerned but unable to hide the positive glow to his features either. Xiumin had just smiled towards the other, reaching out to place his hand on his friend’s cheek and smiling, “Always knew you’d be the first.” 

“Don’t say it like that,” Luhan had blushed, brushing away the hand but only so he could hold it, “I’m just so sorry it’s happened now.” 

Xiumin shook his head, smiling, “It’s fine. You couldn’t have known that this was going to happen and I’m guessing it wasn’t really planned either.” 

“Nope,” Tao cut in, nipping around to the opposite side of the bed to spoon Xiumin which was very much apricated. “Plus, I only just got him to actually realise that he’s pregnant too.” 

Xiumin raised his eyebrows towards the youngest omega in question before Yixing huffed, “Cubs can apparently pick up on pregnancy hormones better than we grown adults. Here Channie, go to your Mama!” 

A squeaking bark came form Chan, who had previously been in Yixing’s arms and the cub lolloped towards Xiumin in a slightly uncoordinated style to give the man a series of licks and barks. Xiumin smiled and pulled his cub closer, snuggling into him and feeling his heart beating a thousand times faster as he held him tight to his chest. Though he groaned when he felt a little mouth beginning to suck at his top. “Ow, baby, not right now. Mama’s not…” 

“Channie, leave your Mama alone,” Luhan said, reaching out to pluck Chan up and away from the others chest but not actually removing him, “You’ve already had a double breakfast from me and don’t think I didn’t see you sneaking a drink out of Yixing too.” 

Xiumin chuckled, “He clearly likes his food.” 

“He’s a greedy cub, who’ll get fat and lazy,” Luhan replied, then slightly shifted, “Though hopefully he won’t get jealous of the new cub.” 

“Oh, don’t set him off again,” Yixing replied, though his eyes were softly focusing on Xiumin’s face. The other omega was starting to turn red and it didn’t take a lot to guess what was happening, thankfully the proximity of the cubs was helping but it was clear that they wouldn’t be staying too long. “I think he’s very much looking forward to being a big brother.” 

“Or having a playmate who just wants to play more likely,” Tao said, shifting a little as he started to feel the dampness coming from Xiumin’s back and lower regions. “Xiu-gege, do you want a bath or a shower?” 

Xiumin shook his head, trying to control his breathing, “No…damn it…too strong…” 

Yixing nodded and leant forward to place a kiss on his forehead, “Okay, I’ll be back in a moment.” 

Luhan looked towards the other, who mouthed a single word towards his packmate before reaching across to pet Xiumin. “It’ll be fine, Xiumin, I promise you.” 

Tears were already forming in Xiumin’s eyes, his brain beginning to shut down to all rational thoughts as his body temperature spiked up rapidly and the feeling of need washed over him. He felt sick, disgusted with himself for being in this situation again and having no way to stop it. He could have requested for sedatives, for anything to just calm him down but it had never once crossed his mind. Though before the thoughts could turn completely destructive, an immense feeling of clam and relief passed through his system. It took him a few moments to realise that there were several points on his neck that were being firmly pressed by Tao, who had also presumably removed his sweaty t-shirt as well. Blinking up at the youngest omega, Xiumin found himself completely and totally confused but unable to word anything out. 

Tao smiled softly back at him, “I learnt this whilst in martial arts class the other day, it helps to sooth the nerves when a heat is approaching and it’s really relaxing.” 

“Huh, we could have done with knowing this last weekend with you then, pup,” Luhan sassed towards Tao. 

The younger blushed, “Well I was going to actually teach everyone but things…. kind of got out of hand.” 

“Second heat last weekend,” Luhan filled in Xiumin who was still enjoying the blissful feeling, “Bloody pain the neck.” 

“Hey, at least it only lasted two days this time,” Tao pouted, shifting his fingers slightly which caused a groan to escape from Xiumin’s lips. “And wasn’t as painful.” 

“Was doubly loud,” Luhan teased back before shushing Tao’s arguments as a nurse appeared at the door with Yixing in tow. The woman smiled and stepped closer, checking over Xiumin’s vital signs and charts. The four omegas watched her, whilst Chan merrily busied himself with attacking a stray thread from one of the blankets, and after a moment or two she nodded. “Your vital signs are good at the moment but we’re going to have to move you to the heat ward for your own safety and…”

“No!” Xiumin said, shaking his head rapidly and latching onto his pup and the other omegas as best as he could, “I don’t want…” 

“Xiumin, it’s okay,” Yixing cut in, placing his hands on the sides of the others face, “You’re going to be safe and protected and…” 

“I’m not having another alpha touch me!” Xiumin yelled out, sounding terrified before he started sobbing uncontrollably, “I don’t want it! Not again! Please.” 

Yixing took a deep breath, “Xiumin, you need an alpha through your heat.” 

“I don’t want one!” Xiumin shrieked, shaking, “Please Xing! I can’t I don’t want…. I just…I hate it! I hate every last piece of it! Please, just this once.” 

“We can’t, it’s not safe for you,” Yixing said softly, placing a kiss on the others forehead, “But listen to me, you’re not going to be treated anything less that perfectly by Kris. He’ll listen to you; he’ll do what you want to do and won’t question anything. Even if you don’t want him to go the full way, he will help you however you want him to.” 

There was a pause before Xiumin raised his head and blinked towards the other, “Kris?” 

“Yes, Kris is going to help you,” Yixing smiled softly, almost cooing at the adorable look in the other eyes right now. “He’s your alpha, just as much as he’s ours, do you really think he would let another alpha touch his omega? He’s gone down to the heat ward; you’ll be in a private room with just him but there’s panic buttons and everything and…” 

“He wants…me?” Xiumin asked, sounding so lost and confused. 

Luhan snorted, “Back in our university days, if he hadn’t been so cowardly, he would have asked you to join in our little ‘play’ sessions in the front room.” 

Tao choked on air, “Did not need to know that.” 

“Oh hush, that was mild in comparison to some of the stories we could tell you,” Luhan said before sighing and running his fingers through Xiumin’s hair. “Trust me, Xiumin, he pinned for you after you were gone. He was always searching for you, even when there were other matters to attend to and he never gave up. He knows that this is going to be a scary situation for you, he knew the moment we entered the hospital and he got everything set up. It’ll just be you and him, no one else and he will love you no matter what. He already does, you’ll be sick of his attentive love within the next year I promise you but it’s worth it.” 

“Kris Gege wouldn’t hurt you,” Tao piped in, “He hates hurting anyone he loves. Your part of the pack, Xiumin, you were before I came and if he does anything to hurt you, give me a holler and I’ll wushu his arse into gear.” 

Yixing snorted, “Then kiss it better for an hour.” 

“Oh please, did not need to know that,” Luhan groaned, reaching forward to pick Chan up and hug him close, “Don’t worry Xiumin. You’ll be in the best hands possible and trust me, no other hands will ever compare to his either.” 

It had taken a further twenty minutes to convince Xiumin that it would be safe to go to the heat ward but by that time the pressure points which Tao had been systematically pressing were no longer working. Xiumin had been a mess of feelings, needs, wants, heat and just and barely there conscious as he had gone from the ward he knew to the place where the air conditioners were on full blast and an alpha was waiting for him. Though this time, it was his alpha, his loving, kind, caring alpha who wanted nothing more than to help Xiumin through his heat and ensure that he came out of the other side as safe as possible. 

Gasps and moans escaped from his lips as Kris started moving, a fast but steady pace that Xiumin favoured as it allowed him to wrap his arms and legs around his alpha and deepen the kiss that they were already sharing. He could never remember a time when he had enjoyed sex, it had always been forced upon him and it still felt strange to be a willing participant in it but he would agree with the others that Kris’s large hands did the most wonderous things to his body. He keened at feeling of his alpha finding that spot inside of him and arched himself closer in an attempt to keep Kris hitting it repeatedly. 

Kris pulled back from his lips momentarily to let out a groan as Xiumin clenched tightly around his length and slightly changed their position to ensure that he was giving the best physical support to Xiumin. “Hmmm, clench like that again, my love,” he husked devilishly into Xiumin’s ear, “I like it so much.” 

Moaning as he lightly pulled at the sweaty hair of the alpha, Xiumin did what Kris wanted and was rewarded not only with a kiss but several harder thrusts which hit his prostate dead centre, sending him cascading over the edge with a strained cry. Kris followed only a few moments later, growling out his pleasure in a purely alpha way which sent shudders of pleasure down Xiumin’s spine before they both collapsed on the bed beneath them, desperate to catch their breaths. For a few, long moments the only sound in the room was the rapid breaths leaving their mouths as they came down from their respective highs. 

Kris was the first to move, the alpha raising his head to look at Xiumin who seemed to be close to dropping off to sleep again. There was a gently peace radiating from the other now, a clear change from when they had first started, and it soothed the alphas heart to know that the omega below wasn’t disgusted or frightened of what had happened between them. There again, after five days of mind blowing sex, Kris figured that it would be hard for anyone to be trapped in a mindset of darkness. Kris could never compare his omegas, they all had different preferences, different ways that they wanted to be pleasured and he found it fun and exhilarating to explore with each one what they wanted. But Xiumin was definitely just a little bit extra special at the moment, that much he knew, as he smiled and leaned down to press a kiss to the slumber’s lips. 

“Minnie,” he called softly, chuckling at the tired groan he got from the other, “Snuggles or bath?” 

A puff of air was his response, though the brown eyes remained shut. “Both?” 

The alpha chuckled, “Okay, I’m going to pull out now.” 

Xiumin couldn’t help but blush at the needy whine which left him as Kris did as he said, part of him wanted to keep the alpha buried deep inside his body until he was really fast asleep but now that the persistent hot itch had gone from his skin, he realised that he really needed a wash. He would reek of sex for days, which strangely he found he did not worry about for the first time in a very long while and there was a fluttering in his heart and belly the likes of which he had never felt before either. Slowly he opened his eyes and blinked a couple of times, only to let out a little meep sound when Kris appeared above him with the biggest, gummies smile on his face. “Hi,” the alpha said in a joking manner which had the omega blushing and hiding his face with his hands. Kris just chuckled as he cooed and rested lightly on his forearms to press kisses to the back of the omega’s hands. “Aww, you being all shy, my little omega?” 

A sound of complaint, which was not a squeal of joy, came from Xiumin who shook his head but did slightly pry his fingers apart on his left hand to peek at the alpha. Kris chuckled again and nuzzled at the hands, cooing lightly, “I think you are.” 

“Not,” Xiumin managed to rasp out, still blushing as he only half heartedly fought against keeping his hands on his face as the alpha kept on wolfishly nuzzling at them until finally he gave up and let them flop to either side of his head in surrender. His blush increased tenfold at the sight of the loving smile that he received from Kris and reached up to take the alpha’s face in his hands before lowering it to meet his lips in a slow, gentle but love filled kiss which he hoped would convey everything that he wanted to say without having to speak the embarrassing words aloud. He didn’t want to the bubble to break, for the spell to be gone and for everything to just turn out to be some kind of terrible dream. Though from the uttermost caring and lovesick look he got from Kris, he knew that it couldn’t be because there was no way on earth, he would have ever chosen an alpha to look at him like that. Which was probably what made the butterflies already flying around his stomach go even more rapid fire than they had been. 

Kris nodded and shifted, before gently scooping Xiumin up into his arms, “Let’s get you all cleaned up, huh?” 

Xiumin nodded and shyly ducked his head into the alpha’s chest, loving the fact that he could smell his scent so strongly all over Kris. Though as he took the opportunity to just smell his alpha, he found that it was easy to find the traces of the rest of the pack over him too. All of their scents merged together into a pleasant composition that was unique but not overwhelming and didn’t allow another to overpower. Sure, at the moment his was the most prominent but that wasn’t a surprise with what they had been doing, but it was nice to know that Kris didn’t favour any one pack member. There again, the omega supposed, with the number of omegas that were going to be in the pack, favouring one of the others was not going to end well. 

Shaking his head of those destructive thoughts, Xiumin instead decided to just be a little more greedy for now. He had Kris all to himself, he didn’t have to share, and it was nice to be the sole attention of someone whom he loved and adored. Even if it was just going to be for a little while longer. Though he was actually looking forward to seeing the others, to checking on how Luhan was coping with his pregnancy even if he was only in the first trimester and checking that the other two weren’t about to start popping babies either. Though since Tao was only on his second heat the chances were low, as it had only been through Xiumin’s insistence that Kris didn’t wear the protection that they had started off with, he figured that they wouldn’t have to worry about that anytime soon. 

But things could change rapidly as he had discovered himself, so it was best to be prepared. 

The warm bath water was relaxing though, and the omega let out a very content sigh as he was lowered into it. Though he immediately pouted towards the alpha, “Join me?” 

Kris looked bemused at the request, “I need to wash you though.” 

“Yes, but do it in the bathtub,” Xiumin whined, slightly uncharacteristic but he turned out to be really clingy after heat sex and wanted nothing more than to have his alpha on him at all times. Hopefully, that would fade with the heat finally disappearing, as he could now feel the coolness of the air conditioning units, but if he were going to indulge in his clingy omega behaviour, he was going to do it full on. “Please?” he pouted, adding an extra layer of cuteness to his voice in an hope to break the alpha’s strong will. 

He needn’t have bothered as Kris had already been in the process of getting in the tub with his mate when he asked. “Man, you cute omegas are going to be the death of me one day.” He chided playfully, kissing Xiumin on the neck, just where his newly formed mating mark was before picking up the soap and starting to wash the others back. “It’s a good thing that I love you all, isn’t it?” 

“A very good thing,” Xiumin replied, smiling to himself as he let out a long sigh and allowed himself to relax, the alphas movements strong and reliable as ever. The omega knew that he was safe now, that he could breath and not worry about someone slamming in and causing a ruckus. It was a nice feeling and one that allowed him to start thinking of a future that was sure to be a lot brighter than this one. 

Though for a few moments he did find his thoughts dwelling back to that dark place and he prayed feverishly that he wasn’t on some type of hallucinogenic drug that was making this all too perfect world appear before his eyes. Okay, so the room they were in was best described a clinical and generic, but it was a far cry from where he had been for the past few years. Slowly he opened his eyes as he felt Kris’s strong arms wrap around his still too thing frame in a reassuring hug and he slightly twisted his head up towards his alpha. That was a concept which was going to take a little getting used to. “Aren’t you going to ask?” he blurted out, as forthright as ever even despite the blush that crossed his features. 

Kris looked a little confused for a moment before shaking his head and gently running his hand through Xiumin’s hair, “Unless you really want to talk about it.” 

A vicious shake of the head was his response and Kris smiled as he resumed his previous task, “I figured as much.” 

“But you’re still curious, aren’t you?” Xiumin asked quietly, seeming to make himself smaller as if he could possibly do so. 

“Of course, but after what happened with Siwon, I’m not going to push you,” Kris replied gently, soothing through some of the knotted muscles on the others back with his large hands. “It’s not fair to push you, and I know you’ll come to us when you’re ready to talk about all that happened to you. Right now I want to focus on getting you better, getting you fattened up so that I don’t think I’m going to snap you like a twig all the time and ensure that you are as happy as you need to be in order to survive.” 

The butterflies had travelled back up to Xiumin’s heart and he had to let out a little shuddering breath to be able to think straight. This all still seemed to be too much like a dream to be real but at the same time he knew that it couldn’t be anything but. Letting out another exhale, he looked around for anything to distract him so that he could just go back to enjoying this long moment and found his eyes resting on Kris’s right arm which was still lovingly wrapped around him as the alpha took gentle care of washing his body. On his alpha’s arms were the dark tattoos of all his mates, the current ones and the ones that were yet to join the family. Xiumin found himself fascinated with them all as his eyes traced over each image. There was Yixing’s unicorn at the top of his right hand shoulder, underneath was the strange circular hour glass that belonged to Luhan and just before the crook of Kris’s elbow there was his own square snowflake that was now a dark fully formed shape and matched exactly with the one on Xiumin’s right arm in the exact same place. It was no longer just a faded undefined shape and that made the omega feel very proud though for reasons he couldn’t quite place. Tao’s hourglass was on the inner part of Kris’s right wrist and it was a running joke that it was the most visible because Tao wanted all the attention on himself all of the time. 

But in between the two, on Kris’s upper right forearm was another mark, though it was faded and barely even showing up against the dry skin. It looked like a lightening bolt though maybe it was a scorpion at the same time. A pang of guilt crept through Xiumin’s heart because he knew who that mark belonged to, but he had no idea where his former best friend was currently. He hadn’t seen him in the past three years and could only hope that he was somewhere still alive. Or maybe he had convinced that guard who liked him to carry through with his promise and help him escape. Xiumin had no way of knowing however, though he wished he did. It would be the best thing in the world to have Chen back with them too, but he couldn’t even think where to begin. Not liking where his thoughts were starting to take him, Xiumin instead turned his attention to the other arm in the hopes of finding a good distraction. 

Kris’s left arm was still bare of marks at the moment, or at least ones that were outlined and filled in but Xiumin could feel the different areas of apparently dry skin where the marks would go. It was next to impossible to work out what they were going to be at this stage but Xiumin knew that there were six in total on that arm and he vaguely wondered how they were all going to cope. But he smiled to himself, knowing that somehow, they would work it out because they needed to work it out. There wasn’t a choice in who was joining the pack, they were all going to be there regardless because they were meant to be there. Though his thoughts did briefly wander to Chan and how the little tyke was going to cope with everything. Whilst he had no worries that the cub was going to be rejected, as everyone had protected and loved the tiny little thing since the moment he had arrived rather abruptly in their lives, he knew what it was like to be on the outside looking in with no connection. Chan wouldn’t be included in the pack bound because he was a cub born outside of it, whilst his new brother would be and whilst there would always be a connection between mother and son, he didn’t know if there would be one between Kris and Chan. It saddened him to think that his little one could grow up without knowing the intimacy of a pack bond and he leaned back against Kris with a sigh. 

“Are you okay?” Kris asked gently, his deep voice completely soothing to the soul. 

For a second Xiumin thought about lying but knew that he’d be found out regardless and shook his head, “I’m worried about Chan.” 

“Chan?” Kris asked gently, before smiling. “I think I’ve proved that I’m not going to eat him, Xiumin, in fact, he’s more than liable to eat me since I’m his favourite chew toy at the moment.” 

A frown came from Xiumin and Kris realised belatedly that he hadn’t relayed that piece of information to the mother yet, “His fangs are coming in, soon he’ll be able to eat meat and learn to hunt with me.” 

“Oh,” Xiumin said and then blinked and looked startled, “Already?” 

“Yeah, he’s getting on for being like eight months now we think,” Kris replied, “Though he may be a bit older. We were going to talk to you about getting him registered properly once you were out of the hospital so we can decide on his birth date and get him signed up to school and…” 

“But he’s not pack,” Xiumin spluttered out, shaking his head, “How can…I mean…he’ll always…. oh no! Chan!” 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Kris caught the omegas hands before they could go to his face to try and hide the tears, “What are you talking about? Of course, Chan is pack.” 

Xiumin shook his head, “He’s not! He’s born outside of the pack. He doesn’t have a drop of your blood in him. He’ll never have the pack bound that we all share. He’ll be left out of it and that does things to wolves Kris. It’s not fair in the slightest. He’s just an innocent baby now but he’ll feel it when he’s older and his brothers are able to share something he can’t, and I just feel so…” 

Arms wrapped tightly around Xiumin as a series of kisses were pressed against his head. Kris allowed the omega to at least get the main panic over and stop completely sobbing away before letting out a sigh. “You don’t have to worry about Chan,” Kris spoke carefully and softly, running his hands through the others hair once again, “He’s pack, he’s always going to be pack and he’ll share the bond with his brothers.” 

“How?” Xiumin hiccupped, shuddering, “It’s not possible.” 

“I claimed him,” Kris said without any form of preamble or harshness to his ton. 

Xiumin pulled back and blinked, “What?” 

“I claimed him,” Kris replied, a smile on his lips. “Actually, claimed him and made him part of the pack.” 

Looking bewildered, the omega blinked and rubbed at his neck in even more confusion. “You…you can…that’s…I’m mean.”   
Kris nodded, “It was Jay Park who told me about it. He’s the owner of the bookshop that Luhan works at. Anyone can be made pack, just as long as its not forced upon them against their will and Chan’s too young to really refuse so I was able to claim him.” 

The omega narrowed his eyes, “How?” 

Looking a little pale, Kris sighed, “I gave him a small nip on the back of his…. ow!”

“You bit my baby?” Xiumin shirked, looking outraged but not too hurt thankfully. 

“It was just a nip on the back of the neck, nothing more than that,” Kris defended himself, “Plus Chan took it like a trooper and then bit me back on the nose for vengeance.” 

Blinking, Xiumin raised an eyebrow, “He bit you on the nose?” 

“Well more like gummed my nose but he still did it,” Kris replied, trying not to laugh at the look of outrage that was slowly giving way to mirth on his omega’s face. “So, you needn’t worry, Chan is pack and he’ll share everything with everyone. In fact, I’m sure since I’ve claimed him, he’s even more aware of Luhan now and is very keen to become a big brother.” 

Letting out a breath, Xiumin shook his head, before resting it against Kris’s chest with only the faintest blush on his cheeks, “I really need to stop worrying about everything. You seem to have everything under control.” 

Kris snorted, “Hardly but I know what’s best for my pack and Chan had to be part of it regardless. That little cutie is too damn adorable to leave anyway, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against all four of you ganging up on me if I had said he had to go or something terrible.” 

There came no response from Xiumin, as a wave of tiredness had hit him very heavily, but Kris was used to this sort of conversation happening. Post-heat omegas tended to be emotional, strung out and then tended to randomly collapse as exhaustion hit them. Kris always took the opportunity to snuggle or clean up his omegas during this exhaustion and since he was already in the bath with Xiumin it certainly made life a whole lot easier. Gently he ran a sponge over the others body, cleaning away the sweat and bodily fluids from the last few days and pretending not to notice the scars and marks on the others skin. 

Once he was finished, Kris placed a kiss on the crown of Xiumin’s head and gently picked him up out of the bath before towel drying the sleepy omega off, putting him in a pair of long sleeved, very fluffy pyjamas with a certain famous snowman character theme that suited Xiumin down to the ground with it’s blue and white colour scheme. Picking the omega up again, Kris carried him to the bed and settled him down, placing a blanket over the other with another kiss and a promise to be back momentarily whilst he sorted out the air conditioning to the best of his abilities, getting it on the warmest setting possible before pulling on his own set of warm fluffy pyjamas and making his way across to wrap himself around the now thankfully resting omega. 

Picking up his phone which had been on the side, he glanced through it briefly to see hundreds of messages from his omegas updating him about what had been going on, asking for updates on the pair of them and also at least fifty new pictures and videos of Chan doing cute cub things. He yawned loudly as he set the device aside, opting to go through the cuteness tomorrow with his omega whilst the doctors decided if it would be safe to send Xiumin home or not. Hopefully, it would be because Kris wanted nothing more than to have the omega back in their lives and he was sure that it would help settle their little baby down to. 

He smiled as he settled down next to his omega and snuggled in tight him with. Another piece of his heart was fulfilled and had fit snugly into place. It was a wonderful feeling and made the alpha feel more proud than he had ever done in his entire life.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update, make sure to read chapter 12 first

Yawning loudly, Chan stretched out his little body and then shook himself off. It was bright, he noted in his childish way, which meant that the others would be up and that thought made him give off a little howl of joy. From the smells in the room, he figured that no one was actually up and about as of yet, but that didn’t really matter as he had his duck to play with until someone would come and see him. 

Chan had to admit that he loved his duck, it was his favourite toy in the whole world even if he couldn’t quite recall as to why. Sure, there was his favourite blankie, because that smelt like his Mama and always brought him comfort and joy. His Mama was being kept in some other place at the moment, but he got to visit with his other Mama’s so that was a relief, but he did miss the others presence at times. He was far too young to understand of course but right now he just focused his thoughts on his other favourite things besides his duck. 

He had a favourite pillow that he liked to sleep on, because it was the biggest pillow that was twice as squishy as all the others and he liked to chase after the big green ball whenever he got the chance to do so. As for his meals, Lu Ma was his favourite to drink from, because Yixing Ma had a slightly different taste but there again he had started going off the taste of milk for the last few days. Especially after Tao-Gege had given him a taste of something called gravy that had little slithers of meat in it. Chan’s tail had gone so fast at that that all his Mama’s had cooed and laughed at him whilst his Gege had taken yet another recording of him. Tao Gege seemed to like doing that which was a good thing, Chan supposed. 

But no, his favourite thing in the world was his rubber duck and he wanted nothing more than to play with it right at this second. So, with only a minor stumble, because he was still half tangled in his larger blanket, Chan flopped onto his duck and started merrily pawing and chewing at the plastic toy. He got so immersed in his game that he did not hear the door opening and let out a startled squeak when Yixing Ma appeared by the side of his bed. 

“Oh, someone’s up early to play with his ducky,” Yixing grinned before reaching in to pluck the cub up from the mess of blankets, pillows and toys that the cub insisted on sleeping with. “That’s a good thing though, because I don’t have to wake you up for breakfast cause yesterday you were a real grouchy little mister all morning.” 

Half chewing on his duck, Chan gave Yixing a look which clearly said why he had been grumpy because he had been woken up from a delightful dream about fluffy clouds and brightly coloured unicorns. Plus, he had just been making friends with a dragon as well, so of course he was grumpy because he hadn’t been able to find the dragon again and he wanted to share his toys with him and everything else. 

Squeaking a hello to Yixing however, Chan continued to chew his duck as he was in a good mood and didn’t want it spoilt by thinking about yesterday morning. Yixing seemed satisfied with that answer and gave the cub a kiss on the top of his head before heading out of the room which had technically been dubbed as Xiumin’s and Chan’s for the time being. They had as of yet to work out quite how they were going to fit everyone in but it had been decided that once Xiumin was home they would have the discussion about who was rooming where and where the babies were going to sleep once they were no longer babies. Moving to a bigger house was not yet an option but they could work something out. 

Plus, Tao was convinced that there was a den underneath their house because of the way that the floorboards creaked. Yixing wouldn’t be surprised but he wasn’t entire sure if they’d be able to claim it, especially if it were connected to someone else’s already. 

Chan didn’t know what a den was and did not really care, as instead he was distracted by a sea of bubbles in his own little yellow bath and he squealed happily as he was dropped into the water for his morning wash. Which immediately triggered him turning into a human because splashing was so much more fun when you had two things called hands instead of paws. Yixing chuckled and did not even bat an eyelid at this, used to the sudden transformations and after having done a bit of reading up on cubs, as really none of them knew that much other than what had briefly been taught to them at school, he knew it was natural. 

The little boy in front of him would stop the random transformations once his fangs grew in, as by that point he would be considered the same age as a two year old and his aging would reflect a more normal pace. He would still be able to change far easier at will, especially if he was scared or wanting to run away and the full moon would affect him until his tenth year and then after that, depending on if he was an omega, beta or an alpha, Chan would change in a different way. Blinking at the little boy who was splashing away in the tub, whilst Yixing rubbed a mixture of baby oil and sea salt onto his skin to make it smooth and supple, the omega wondered vaguely what Chan would present as. Though he knew not to dwell on that thought too much as looks could be deceiving and it wasn’t always about personality either. 

Chan raised his head and smiled towards Yixing, “Mu!” 

Laughing, Yixing shook his head, “It’s Ma, Chan, remember. Ma-Mà” 

Chan had started speaking whilst in human form but seemed to have his own preferences for addressing everyone. Even thought they had tried to correct him; Chan was happy with the word choice and seemed in no hurry to change it. Yixing was currently Mu, Luhan was Mo, Tao came out as Ge and Kris was Ba. It was adorable and had been recorded many times already because it would be perfect embarrassing material for the youngster in later life. Chan grinned towards Yixing and clapped his hands again, “Mu!” 

Sighing, Yixing picked up the now clean boy and rubbed a towel over his skin, “Right, now are you going to stay a boy or turn into a cub this morning.” 

Pouting cutely, Chan seemed to think about it before letting out another cute sound and making grabby hands towards a set of clothes which Yixing had laid out. There were Pororo themed and Chan loved the penguin to much. Yixing wasn’t even surprised in the slightest as he helped the child get dressed and then took his downstairs where he could hear a little bit of something being made. 

Tao looked up from the cupboard he was searching through and smiled brightly, “Morning.” 

“Ge!” Chan called, waving towards the youngest omega who waved back with a smile on his face. 

“Morning, you’re up early?” Yixing asked, glancing at the calendar on the wall because he was sure that it wasn’t a workday for the youngest omega. 

A nod came his way, “Yup, got some homework to catch up on this morning before Xiumin comes home. Don’t worry, I’m ahead of most of it, just need to ensure that I get the rest all up to date because I nearly forgot about my languages homework last week.” 

Yixing sighed, “I wish I had your energy sometimes Tao.” 

“From all accounts you had more than me,” Tao said, straightening up with a pan in his hand, “I’m going to make some congee and wheat noodles.” 

“Sounds good,” Yixing said, placing Chan into his highchair where the youngster wiggled about happily. “Though can I nip around to get some of the youtiao from yesterday? Chan really seemed to like them with the soy milk the other day.” 

Tao grinned and stepped aside, sneaking a kiss onto Chan’s head, “Aww, baby is growing up.” 

“Yes, and soon he’ll be walking and talking and causing all sorts of mischief and mayhem,” Yixing replied, starting to get his supplies as quickly as possible so that he could set them on the table and let Tao had the run of the kitchen. 

“Ha, I think Luhan’s baby is going to be more mischief and mayhem than Chan,” Tao giggled, “He’s our little good boy.” 

“Don’t let Luhan hear you saying that,” Yixing said, shaking his head lightly, “He was in a prickly mood last night and I don’t think that he’ll be so happy comparing babies at the moment.” 

“Noted,” Tao said, stepping past Yixing to start work on the breakfast. “But Chan is such a good boy already, I can’t ever imagine him being naughty.” 

Yixing gave Tao a side long glance but then shook his head and smiled towards Chan as he started to feed him a very mushed up breakfast which clearly the baby boy liked. Though Tao did have another question, “Where is Luhan anyway? He’s normally up by now.” 

“Rough night, apparently, baby was kicking him in the ribs,” Yixing replied, shaking his head, “found him watching TV two hours ago and sent him back to bed. I’d prepare a little extra and keep it warm for him because he’ll be cranky when he wakes up.” 

“Bubu,” Chan clapped, giggling lightly. 

Yixing chuckled, “Yes, Bubu kept your Luhan awake all last night so no loud crying from you today, okay Chan?” 

Letting out another sound, Chan opened his mouth to receive more of the yummy breakfast and enjoyed a relatively quiet morning with Yixing Ma and Tao Gege in the kitchen. Once everyone was finished and all the dishes had been put away, Chan found himself in the main living room where his toybox was and he spent the rest of the morning playing happily. Occasionally Yixing would join in, as would Tao when he would appear from upstairs claiming to need a break from studying and finally Luhan turned up at little after elven looking a little more refreshed. 

Chan laughed and extended his arms towards Luhan, letting out a, “Mo!” 

Luhan chuckled and bent down, groaning a little as he picked up the baby and settled down on the sofa with him, “Morning to you Chan. At least you slept through the night with no waking me up.” 

“Bubu!” Chan replied, tapping the slight swell of Luhan’s stomach with his hand, as apparently since realising his pregnancy everything had started showing a whole lot more recently. 

“Yes, Bubu kept your Mo awake last night,” Luhan replied, petting the boy, “You go ahead and tell him to behave.” 

“Don’t start putting ideas in his head, he’ll get a complex,” Yixing chided playfully, leaning back on his hands. 

Luhan rolled his eyes fondly, “Big brothers are supposed to be the ones to keep order around the place. With the amount we could end up with, Chan’s going to need to start young.” 

“Let him be a kid first, he’s not that grown up yet,” Yixing complained though it was all just in tease as Tao appeared with Luhan’s breakfast and took the opportunity to swipe Chan away for his own hugs. “I’m sure he’ll be a good big brother but he’s not even really talking yet so…” 

“BA!” Chan let out a sudden yell, startling them all and he twisted around towards the front door, “BA!” 

The three omegas blinked before being able to pick up the tell tale sounds of the car approaching. Tao shook his head, “How does he do that?” 

“His bound is quite strong apparently,” Luhan replied, “There again, he sees Kris as his Baba, so it makes sense.” 

“Do you think he’ll ever know that Kris is not?” Yixing asked. 

A snort came from Luhan, “Not if anyone can help it and as far as I’m concerned Kris will be Chan’s Baba regardless of birth anyway.” 

“MAMA!” Chan was now yelling, hands out towards the door as he tried to wriggle towards it which was giving Tao a little bit of a hard time. “MAMA! BABA!” 

The door opened not two seconds afterwards and Kris smiled as he saw the confusion on the other three omega’s faces, “Either our little Chan has a really good nose or he’s super sensitive.” 

“Xiumin!” the trio all chorused at once, rushing to hug the other omega, though Chan was safely passed to his Baba with a happy gurgling sound. The previously missing omega smiled shyly, a blush decorating his cheeks as he accepted the hug from his pack and felt the bond which had been rather quiet for the most part flutter happily into life. Tears started to trickle down his face as he held onto them all tighter, still not quite able to believe that this was actually real, and he was home. This was his pack; this was his house and there was nothing and no one who could take him away from it. 

He snuggled against Luhan the most, welcoming the warm scent of motherhood that was beginning to blossom from the others scent and subconsciously started scent marking him for as much protection as possible. “Thank you,” he whispered quietly, “For taking care, of my baby.” 

Luhan sniffed loudly and dug his face into the crook of the others neck, “I wouldn’t have left Chan alone regardless. He’ll be the best big brother ever, I’m sure of it.” 

A giggle escaped from Xiumin as he pulled back a little to place his hands on the swell, “Hello little one. I look forward to meeting you too.” 

That immediately caused both Tao and Yixing to break down into tears, along with the two who were already crying, and the omegas ended up on the floor in a big cuddle pile. Kris blinked at the scene, unsure quite how to react before merrily grinning and hoisting Chan up a little higher on his hip. “Come on, Channie, let’s leave these guys to have their cuddle moment. I think you need a change and then I brought treats home.” 

Chan half pouted at the thought of getting changed but grinned brightly when treats were mentioned. Even though he couldn’t fully eat solids yet, he did like some of the baby gummy sweets which he could just about manage most of the time. There had been the occasional hiccup but nothing too bad. 

Xiumin however raised his head and reached his hands out in a similar grabby motion that his son had made before. Kris did not even hesitate to kneel down and allow the mother to take the baby boy into his arms and hug him tightly to his chest before settling down to once again join in the cuddle pile. Shaking his head, Kris stole as many pictures as possible because it was all just a little too adorably cute and he wanted to preserve this moment forever. A few playful swats were sent his way, but the alpha did not mind in the slightest because he was more happy to see his omegas being happy, healthy and exactly where he wanted them all to be right now. At home, wrapped around one another with nothing but love, care and attention being shared amongst them. It made his heart swell and his ego boost up several layers and that was what made everything all the more worthwhile. 

Once satisfied that he had enough pictures, Kris got up and headed back to the car to collect Xiumin’s bag of belongings and moved it up to his bedroom. Though how long it was going to stay like that was anyone’s guess, but the alpha was going to worry about room allocations and everything later on. He then went into the kitchen, finished off the congee and set aside some of the treats like he had promised to bring home. He also started brewing up the biggest pot of tea going and fetched out the extra special tea set to serve it in, because he wanted to treat all of his omegas like princesses right now. No one was going to stop him from doing so either. 

He returned to the living room, arranged the furniture and brewed the tea before braving himself for facing the cuddle pile of content, weepy but happy omegas and a cub who had blissfully fallen asleep due to the warmth and proximity of all his pack. One by one he picked up each omega and moved them to the living room, setting them down on the sofa and chairs whilst he saved the big bean back chair for himself and then served the tea. 

No words were spoken between the pack for now, they just enjoyed the warmth of sharing the moment with each other and not having to worry about anything for the time being. They were together, they were a pack and right at this moment in time it was easy to think that they could take on anything and win. The morning passed by quietly like this, until Xiumin let out a shiver which had everyone migrating over to the sofa to snuggle up against him to provide warmth and shelter. It was a little bit of a squeeze and took several rearrangements but after the first initial struggles everyone got settled. Kris lay on the bottom, being the tallest and therefore the longest, with Xiumin and Chan resting on top of his chest whilst Yixing curled into his right hand side. Luhan opened to lie in the opposite direction of Kris, so his head could be supported by cushions as he did not need a sore back on top of everything else that was going on currently with this body, but his legs reached out to hook Yixing safely onto the alpha’s side and the other rested lightly against the small of Xiumin’s back. Tao was literally squashed on the left side of Kris, just fitting in the gap between the alpha and the sofa but his arm was secured around Xiumin and his feet were curled up against Luhan’s side. They were all connected together physically and mentally, and the pack bond buzzed pleasantly between them. 

It did not take long for the group to fall asleep, resting together for the rest of the morning and if anyone had been around to capture the photograph, no one would have minded in the slightest. They were together, as one, and for now it was the best feeling in the entire world. 

Chan dreamed of a large field, where there were many bright flowers and other boys his age who were running around with him. He found himself smiling and laughing with them, able to see their parents off in the distance watching with proud smiles on their faces. He grinned and waved back before turning to chase off after the boys. He couldn’t really see their faces or remember the names that he was calling out to them, but he felt as though they were all going to be very important to him in the future. Of course, when he woke up a few hours later in need of some relief and food, he completely forgot all about the dream, but it wasn’t like he could have communicated to anyone anyway. 

For now, the cub was very happy with what he had in his life and knew that soon, many big adventures were going to come his way and he just could not wait for them all to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors babbling: These two chapters wanted to be so badly written that I go them out in record time and seriously I didn't even have to think whilst writing them. So much fun and so freaking cute. 
> 
> And everyone picked out the easier reference I had previously, and one person got the more obscure one (there again I had to google to get that bit so not surprised) Shixun/Sehun (do people want me to stick with the chinese names or have the mix of the Korean and Chinese? I kinda want to use all the chinese names cause it fits but that may get confusing for people, let me know) is around but so is someone else. There will be a delay in getting to them because of where I think the plot bunnies are taking me but twill be fun. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you had fun with these two adorable chapters and I'll see when I next get around to updating 
> 
> and for those of you who don't know Stray Kids Bang Chan, here's a video of our adorable, dork cutie pie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAvCRLg8ifM&t=110s


	14. Chapter 14

“You seem to be in a very happy mood today,” Yixing commented towards the Doctor he was working with on the paediatric ward. It was next to impossible to see how the man was smiling, virtually glowing like a cub who had just found their most favourite blanket in the world, that mental image was courtesy of Chan because the cub literally had an obsession with a blanket that Luhan had got for his baby and no matter where it was hidden it was always found, and Yixing found that the feeling was rather infectious. There again, Lee Sungmin was infectious in general as he was one of the few alpha doctors in the children’s section of the hospital and his happy, boxy smile got everyone going. Even Yixing had to admit that he had just a little bit of a crush on the other, who wasn’t that much taller than him, had plain black hair and a rather cute rounded pumpkin style head but a pair of dark alluring eyes that turned into the happiest of crescents at any opportunity. At the moment they were apparently permanently fixed in this position and his scent of strawberries was just a little bit brighter than it had been before. 

Sungmin blushed a little, “Let’s just say that I had a good weekend.” 

“Meet someone special by any chance?” Yixing teased, already knowing the signs of someone finding their mate because he had personal experience of watching what an alpha was like after finding them. Kris said he was cool and collected at all times, but he was just the biggest, happiest, silliest dork who turned into a cuddle monster for about a week. Whilst the latter part of that ideology didn’t quite fit with Sungmin, he was exhibiting the same signs as Yixing’s alpha. 

Sungmin gave him a slightly long eye glance but then sighed and nodded, “I keep forgetting your mated at times.” 

“Yes, with plenty of others to share with,” Yixing proudly proclaimed, making a mental note to call home on his break to check on what was going on there as Luhan was in his latter stages of pregnancy now and would be due to drop within the next week or so. “You look as happy as my alpha when he finds one of us so spill the beans already.” 

Sungmin chuckled and shook his head, “I don’t quite know if it’s that level yet, but I’ve met someone who I’m pretty sure I have a great connection with, and we’ve arranged a date for Thursday.” 

“You’ve been messaging them, right?” Yixing replied, glad that they were in the office doing paperwork prior to the round right now and not on the wards because there would be too many questions flying around the room. 

“Yes, I have. It’ll be interesting to see how things go,” Sungmin blushed, almost as if it were strange to talk about this sort of thing with the other but Yixing wasn’t that worried about it. It was nice to see someone falling in love with their future mate, as briefly the omega had clocked the diamond shape on the alphas arm when he was swapping over coats after one of the children had thrown up on him earlier on. “But we’re not here to talk about our personal lives, are we? How’s the round this afternoon?” 

“Three wards, and a private visit to the family in room 106,” Yixing replied without missing a beat, “Most are just follow up cases but there’s a couple of new admissions and two priority cases which I’ve set us to see first thing.” 

The doctor blinked at the trainee nurse and then grinned, “You keep being this organised Yixing and I may just hire you to be my assistant.” 

Yixing sat up a little straighter, looking a mixture between humbled and proud of himself, “I’m still learning though.”   
Sungmin shook his head, “For learning you’re more organised than my current assistant believe me. I would still be writing up the morning reports whilst she would be flapping trying to work out my afternoon schedule now. Come on, you best come with me for the rounds. What’s the information on the two priority cases?” 

Following the doctor out with his notes all neatly arranged, Yixing gave the information in a professional and straight forward manner. One of the priorities was for a young girl who had accidentally ingested some poison after a game of hide and seek with her brothers went wrong and the other was a very sad case of a youngster who had gotten involved in a car crash whilst running away from his abusive pack which had caused him severe trauma’s and memory loss. Thankfully, another pack had found him and taken him in, but he kept forgetting everything at the end of the day. Yixing was glad that the foster pack was patient enough to work with the boy, even though they had some quite young cubs who didn’t fully understand that situation at all, 

Sungmin was calm, professional and gentle with the two, the girl was improving day by day and the affects were starting to disappear which was a massive relief to everyone and when they got to the room of the young man they found him playing with his younger brother whom he seemed to actually remember from the day before. There were other signs of improvement as he had selected different items for breakfast and seemed to be recognising people, Yixing even got a small shy wave and a “You’re the nurse who told me the funny story about the baby cub.” 

Yixing had been floored as it had been over a week ago that Yixing had even worked on the ward, but he was happy that there was recognition and understanding coming through. 

Sungmin was even more happy when he found very good short hand detailed notes already noted in the files as well with his recommendations and the Matron of the ward complained playfully that things weren’t as half sorted as when Yixing had been working with her and that she wanted to steal him back. The omega didn’t believe half of it though, thinking that they were just being overly nice towards him though he couldn’t quite hide the infectious smile that blossomed onto his lips. The three ward rounds were routine but took slightly longer than normal due to several concerned parents and what was believed to be a case of a missing child which turned out to be nothing more than said child visiting their friend on another ward without informing anyone of where they were going. 

It was getting on for way after eight o’clock when Yixing finally got to his locker to put away everything that had to be left at work and close up for the day. He was tired but pleased with himself for a good day’s work and was looking forward to going home just to snuggle. He was in a half day shift tomorrow and then he had three days of study, two of which were at the college he attended so no chance of being able to just stay in his bed and chill for the day. Shaking his head, he laughed at himself before pulling on his jacket, locking up and clocking out, waving to the night shift who were happily pratting on as they did in their handover before the start of their shift and then headed out of the door. 

Only to pause when he was wolf whistled at and he turned to glare at the culprit. 

“Hey hey, no need to look at me like that,” the man said, his grin big and gummy as hell. 

Yixing however was not quite I the mood, “You’re supposed to be cooking tea tonight or had you forgotten.” 

Kris chuckled as he stepped forward, still grinning like a maniac, “Luhan had a sudden hunger attack and practically devoured everything in the kitchen and then some. He’s in one of those moods where he just doesn’t want anyone around bar Xiumin and Chan so Tao’s gone off to see a movie with his martial arts friends and I thought that it’s been a while since me and you had a date night so I’d surprise you with a pick up from work?” 

Yixing raised his eyebrows up towards the alpha, “Seriously?” 

“Seriously,” Kris grinned, “Check your phone if you want, the family group chat will give you a laugh.” 

Indeed it did give Yixing a laugh, because Xiumin had literally been sending message after message all about what Luhan was eating, how Chan was playing with his new toys and how Luhan was eating more and was now in full on baby food coma and how it probably wasn’t going to be an idea for anyone to come home. Tao had brightly replied that he would go and see a film with his friends and Kris had said he would pick Yixing up from work. There were other comments and a few times Luhan did pop up but only to request more food to be brought in. 

Yixing blinked, “You did talk to Xiumin today, right?” 

“Yes, baobei, I did,” Kris said, throwing his arm over the other and pulling him close. “I spent forty-five minutes of my lunch break talking to him. He’s quite happy being around a demanding pregnant omega and a hyper cub. Says it’s making him feel useful. Plus, he’s used to this sort of behaviour too so he’s probably coping better than any of us could.” 

“True,” Yixing nodded, and lightly bit at his lip, “But the poor dear has been stuck with Luhan all day, we should go…” 

Just then a message popped up on the group chat from Xiumin, “Yixing, don’t worry about me. Keep Kris all to yourself because if he were here, we’d just be fighting Luhan constantly to stop him from killing the alpha who did this to him.” 

Yixing pouted and sighed, before sending several hug emoji’s back towards the other and pocketing his phone. He turned up towards his alpha and threw a hug around him, “So I get you all to myself tonight?” 

“Well until we go home at a reasonable hour,” Kris replied, finally able to connect his lips to Yixing’s which he had been wanting to do since the moment he saw him. “Cause you’ve got study hall tomorrow.” 

“Don’t remind me,” Yixing replied with a sigh, catching hold of the others hand and starting to tug him away from the hospital, “So where are you taking me, Mr. Wolf?” 

Kris just grinned, “Well I have a couple of places in mind…” 

“Polars Ice Cream Parlour?” Yixing cut in with a grin. 

“Or maybe…” Kris stated again. 

“Polars Ice Cream Parlour!” Yixing almost demanded with a very determined look on his face which Kris couldn’t deny was just too cute to resist. 

An overly dramatic sigh was released from his form, even though he knew fine well where he would be taking the omega and gently, he shook his head, “Of course, but you need something more substantial on your stomach beforehand.” 

Yixing blinked, “Why wouldn’t ice cream be substantial?” 

“Did you have lunch today?” Kris asked with a knowing look, “and I mean a proper lunch in the cafeteria, not just a sandwich and a bottle of pop?” 

A growl from Yixing’s stomach indicated the answer to that and Kris grinned in triumph before tugging the omega down a different path from where his feet had started taking him initially, “Thought as much. You can have ice cream after you have something proper to eat.” 

“Fine, but where are you going to take me for somewhere proper to eat at this time of night with no reservation, hmm?” Yixing commented back, hoping that he had the alpha beaten in that regard. 

He did not of course but he was still highly surprised to be led to a Stew House that smelt divine and had his mouth watering. There weren’t that many customers and Yixing immediately liked how it felt so cosy and inviting. He grinned up at his alpha, “Who put you onto this one?” 

“Remember that bratty client who wanted everything just so?” Kris replied, knowing that he couldn’t lie to his first omega to save his life no matter how hard he tried. “She took us all here once the designs were finished. It’s really nice.” 

Yixing grinned, “You’re going to make the others so jealous you realise.” 

“Of course, but I know that you’ve given up at least three date nights recently so it’s your turn to be spoilt,” the alpha replied, his grin a little smug. It would have been fun to try and argue with the other, but Yixing knew that pretty much he had lost before he had started. The others had been on at him constantly for the last week, when he actually had a day off as well, because whilst they loved him, they were all worried that he was cutting himself off to give them all the attention. Whilst Luhan needed a lot at the moment, he wasn’t that much of a diva pregnant to be a total bitch about the situation and Xiumin just kept on getting stronger with each day. There had been some bad days, and some days when Xiumin really needed to be the only omega in Kris’s life but they had gotten through that and whilst there were times when things were not the most easiest they worked on it as a family. 

The only really terrible day they had gone through was when Chan had disappeared for an hour after a shopping trip. Loosing a cub was a stressful enough situation but with what Xiumin had gone through, it had quickly boiled over into a frantic mess that nearly caused yet another hospital trip. Thankfully the cub had turned out to how have been kidnapped by the men who had taken Xiumin away all those years ago, the little terror had simply followed an interesting scent to their next door neighbour and made friends with the young cub who happened to live there. The girl’s parents had been trying to find out who Chan belonged for about the same length of time that everyone was out looking for him and they were apologetic when everything was figured out and sorted. 

Xiumin held his baby and cried for the rest of the night all the same and the next morning Luhan had appeared with a set of baby reigns which fitted both the human and wolf Chan. Until he was old enough to tell them where it was, he was going of course. Chan however seemed to be very taken with his friend Yuna and wanted nothing more than to go and play with her at every opportunity. Thankfully Yuna was also very taken with Chan and seeing as they lived next door to one another, play dates were easy to set up and maintain. 

Of course, Tao also liked attention off his alpha but still sometimes struggled with being an omega. Whilst he had adapted, he was still very independent and wanted to go out more, have some fun and just be a normal teenager. Kris wasn’t stopping him in the slightest, in fact he encouraged it because he knew that there was nothing better than seeing the other enjoying himself and Tao was still a kid and had not experienced half of what they had so it was good he had friends whom he could trust and go out with. But there were times when Tao would come back from the outings in a mood because someone had made comments about his already being mated or would make presumptions about him and his family which really upset the omega. He did his best to try and stay positive, to brush his fears aside and not get involved with narrow minded people but there were times that it was clear that things were taking their toll on the youngest omega. 

Yixing had spent as much time with Tao as he could, trying to help him out but with his own long shifts and study days it was a luxury that he really couldn’t afford right now. So instead on his last day off, having found Tao sulking in the back room alone, Yixing had dragged Kris out of bed and dumped the half awake alpha on their fierce little panda and told him to make the other happy. It had been later, after much cuddling and playful nipping that the other three omegas had ganged up on Yixing to tell him to stop being so selfish and take some much needed time for himself instead of giving it up all the time to the others. Yixing had tried to argue that he didn’t really need anything like that but as he found himself in a cosy little booth with Kris all to himself for the night, the omega found the others were right. 

He couldn’t really recall the last time that it had just been him and Kris, with no one else in the background or chirping in from some random corner and a sudden blush crossed his face as he looked down at his hands. A large one reached across the table to wrap around his and squeeze gently, “It’s okay, Xing, I know how you think sometimes.” 

Yixing sighed, “I guess, I just can’t really be that selfish with you.” 

“You can, you know that in your heart,” Kris smiled back towards his first omega, “You don’t always have to put the others first just because you’re the first omega. We’re not in the veil of the traditional lot you know.” 

“Oh, I know that,” Yixing chuckled gently, “If we were there would be hell on because you got our second pregnant first and took in one who had been with others and already had a cub.” 

Kris narrowed his eyes playfully, “What drama have you been watching to know all that?” 

“My Aunt and Uncle are still extremely traditional,” Yixing replied, shaking his head, “They hated my mother and father so much that I only ever had the misfortune to meet them once but I learnt more than enough in that one afternoon to know I never wanted to be involved with the traditional world in the slightest.” 

“Hmm, I know what you mean,” Kris hummed before leaning across to steal a sweet little kiss from his omega, “But thankfully we’re not and for at least a few hours, it’s just me and you tonight.” 

A little cheer came from Yixing’s lips, but their conversation was briefly interrupted as their order was taken along with drinks. However, the omega’s mind drifted to the one topic that had actually been bothering him, “I know that we really shouldn’t be discussing family matters on a date night like this, but what are we going to do with the house? I mean, Luhan is due to drop any day now and Chan’s getting bigger every time I look at him.” 

Kris smiled proudly, “Yeah, that little tyke is growing bigger and stronger day by day.” 

“I know but that was not really my point,” Yixing sighed, shaking his head at the dummy alpha he was dealing with. 

Blushing a little, Kris rubbed at the back of his head before turning serious. “I’ve enquired about a loan for remodelling that house a bit, but we’d need the planning permission first and that’s a nightmare to get even when there’s not two rapidly growing cubs in the house. A new house may be a better idea but that would mean asking for money from our parents and that’s not really what I ever wanted to do.” 

Yixing nodded, humming a little in thought, “But we are doing to eventually need a bigger place though. Even if it’s a few years down the line because once those marks fill, we’re going to be a very big pack regardless.” 

A nod was his reply, followed by a slight lull in conversation as their starters arrived. Kris took a moment to play with his foot however, “There may be something on the horizon that could help though.” 

“Oh?” Yixing asked before taking a bite out of a cracker. 

Kris sighed, looking uncomfortable and nervous for the first time in a long while, “My father got in contact with me…about a week ago.” 

Yixing must have had his eyes out on stalks because the alpha shook his head, “Nothing bad. He usually checks in about once every two years or so as if he suddenly remembers about me and Mama, but she doesn’t talk to him and I only keep things civil, so he doesn’t send someone snooping around. But besides that,” Kris sighed and shook his head, “He’s got some property on the other side of town, an sort of estate from what he was describing, that in his words he would rather have go to family rather than sell it to a business contractor…” 

“This is the same man who tried to…” Yixing started.

“I know, I remember well,” the words were spoken hurriedly and Kris shook his head, “However, sometimes it’s best to not look a gift horse in the mouth and if it’s the estate I think he’s talking about…it could work out well for all of us.” 

“You’re not giving up your fashion dreams to take over one of his projects,” Yixing stated firmly, arms folded on the table, “You’ve put your heart and soul into that.” 

Kris blinked and shook his head, “Oh no, no, no, no. It’s not one of his business ventures or anything like that. It’s…well it’s the place where I grew up with Mama before the family went south and things went a big messed up.” 

Yixing blinked, “You mean…” 

“Yeah, that place,” Kris sighed, “I was surprised he even thought to offer it to me, since he made it abundantly clear that he wanted the bare minim to do with me and Mama but the offer is there and it’ll be there for a few months apparently.” 

“When you going to view it?” Yixing asked, digging into his food again. 

“When do you next have a day off?” Kris asked back, also picking up his chopsticks again. 

Yixing tilted his head to the side, “Why me?” 

“Cause you’re the only one who’s not either affected by baby brain or having a self-esteem crisis at the moment?” Kris replied, though his tone was extremely fond. “Luhan and Xiumin need to focus on their babies more and Tao just needs to gain his confidence to deal with idiots who tell him off for being mated so young when he couldn’t exactly help it.” 

Yixing grinned teasingly back, “You could have though.” 

“Shush,” Kris replied, flicking a pea at Yixing’s head which the omega caught and started chewing happily. “But no, seriously, I think you’d be best to help decide if it’s worth it. I’m liable to get caught up with all the nostalgia and not look at the full picture.” 

Pursing his lips for a moment, Yixing took another couple of bites of his food, “Would your father be our landlord?” 

“Not too sure on that point yet,” Kris sighed, “He owns the estate but I’ve no idea as to who manages it and the financial affairs behind it.” 

Yixing nodded, “If it was him, what would you be thinking?” 

“That he was trying to control my life and steal me away from my omegas which quite frankly I wouldn’t put past him to attempt,” Kris sighed, shaking his head, “However, there’s my half brothers to consider and seeing as they’ve not been mentioned I think that things may be okay in that regard.” 

“You have half-brothers?” 

Kris nodded, “And a sister actually, she’s younger and quite fun.” 

Yixing blinked, “You’ve never mentioned them before.” 

A shrug was his reply, “Never really felt the need to do so. We’re not that close and honestly, I only really know them by name and not much else. Except for Jessica, but she lives with her own pack now I believe.” 

Taking a deep breath, Yixing paused as he thought things through before finally making up his mind. “I’m free next Sunday, so we can go visit this estate and see if it’s worth it or if it’ll just cause too much hassle. Though I don’t think it would be wise to tell anyone else about it just yet.” 

Kris shook his head, “No way. Too much explanation for one thing and I don’t need to add anymore stress to the family than what is already going on.” 

“Indeed,” Yixing replied, putting his bowl down, “Now onto more brighter topics, tell me what name Luhan has picked for his baby.” 

“No,” Kris replied, shaking his head. 

“Oh, come on Kris, please?” Yixing whined playfully, “I want to know it!” 

“No way, he’d kill me,” Kris said, taking a drink in the hopes it would distract Yixing, but the omega was determined. 

“He wouldn’t find out! Plus, the baby is going to be here soon anyway so just tell me already?” Yixing pouted, looking far younger than what he should have, “Or at least tell me if Chan’s going to have a baby brother or sister.” 

Kris chuckled, “Definitely not. Luhan made me promise not to speak a word under pain of death and that’s how it’s going to be.” 

Yixing pouted, “But Kris…” 

“No, Yixing, not going to work,” Kris chuckled, “When the time comes you’ll learn what Luhan’s baby is and what they will be called but before that you have not got a chance unless you ever want to be able to carry your own cub of your own one day.” 

That caused Yixing to pause and for a few long moments he was silent before a soft smile crossed his face, “That would be nice.” 

Kris blinked and lightly tilted his head to the side, “You want to have a cub?” 

“Of course, I do,” Yixing said, kicking his alpha under the table, “every omega does. Just…not right now.” 

“Why?” 

Yixing sighed, “I want to finish my studies and actually be a nurse with a solid wage coming in. The maternity pay would be a hell of a lot better for someone who’s qualified and got a few years under their belts and I think I’ll just be happy watching the two little ones we shall have for a bit.” 

“There may be more,” the alpha couldn’t help but tease the omega. 

“Kris!” Yixing moaned loudly, then proceeded to whine for a further half hour because his alpha would tell him nothing more about Luhan’s impending birth. Other than the fact that there was only one cub on the way. 

Whilst the omega popped to use the little boy’s room, Kris quickly checked his messages and found one from Xiumin which read, “I’ve got the travel bag ready. If Luhan doesn’t drop tonight, it’ll probably be sometime tomorrow. Just a heads up warning.” 

A squeal was barely contained behind Kris’s lips because he was so thankful that they had Xiumin on hand to help them through this rather unusual phase. Part of him did naturally worry of course, having two mother omegas around each other at the same time could go horribly wrong, as he himself had personal experience of, but so far everything was going fine between Luhan and Xiumin. It may be a different ball game once the cub turned up of course but they would have to wait and see. “Thanks for the update. Stay well and if you need me at all, give me a call, Minnie.” 

Yixing flopped down into the booth, “We needing to go?” 

“Nope, Xiumin was just telling me that he thinks it may be tonight or tomorrow,” Kris smiled, “I’m so glad we’ve got him around to help with all this.” 

Yixing nodded, “I agree. He’s been a godsend. Any news on his interview yet?” 

“Unfortunately, not but hopefully we’ll here something soon,” Kris smiled, then shook his head. “Now come on, I’m supposed to be giving you a date night, not talking about our family messes.” 

“But they’re the best thing to talk about without everyone else butting in,” Yixing replied, though his nostrils flared suddenly as a large pot of stew was placed down on the burner next to the them and his mouth watered. “Though I am not sorry to admit that I am so glad I do not have to share this with anyone but you. It smells divine!” 

“I know,” Kris smiled, using the ladle to give Yixing a bowl full, “Wait until you taste it, you’ll make everyone else so jealous.” 

~*~ 

Luhan shifted crankily about on the sofa bed which had been opened up in the living room before groaning, “Damnit baby, will you just find a position to be in for five minutes?” 

Xiumin smiled softly, “It means baby will soon be ready to say hello to us.” 

“Well baby can learn to sit still for a few moments then cause otherwise I will have no strength left at all,” Luhan complained, blowing a few strands of strawberry blond hair out of his eyes. “Is it always this uncomfortable?” 

“Not sure,” Xiumin said, “I exhibited differently from you but you’re just like every other carrier omega I’ve seen go through this.” 

A look of guild crossed over Luhan’s face, “Sorry.” 

Xiumin shook his head, “Don’t be. I’m just glad I can be here to help. The others wouldn’t have a clue what to do with you right now and that wouldn’t be any fun in the slightest.” 

A nod came from Luhan as he gently breathed out before staring up at the ceiling. A thousand thoughts ran through his head at that moment, so many questions that he wanted to ask but didn’t dare say because it wouldn’t be fair on Xiumin in the slightest. The omega was amazed that the other was doing this well, keeping this calm and was being so patient with him after everything that he must have gone through in the breeding pack. Luhan had heard the horror stories, read up some of the most famous cases and whilst some of them had clearly been sensationalised, there were some bits of information that made Luhan feel like vomiting without his natural aversion to certain foods at the moment. 

A gentle chuckle came his way, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to freak out or cause hell over this Luhan. If you want to ask anything, go ahead.” 

“All the stuff I want to ask you about is exactly the stuff I shouldn’t,” Luhan replied, sitting up with a grimace. 

Xiumin blinked, “You shouldn’t be thinking about that stuff. Just focus on yourself and your baby, that’s the most important thing at the moment.” 

“How can you be so selfless in a moment like this?” Luhan asked, staring at the other with wide hours. 

“Because believe me, what’s going to happen to you in the next however many hours is going to make you completely selfish until that baby is in your arms,” Xiumin smiled sadly, “Nothing prepares you for it, not even my words right now can do it justice but right now, I’d rather be here with you than anyone else in the world.” 

A hiccup escaped from Luhan’s lips, “I’m so glad you are, could you imagine what would have happened otherwise?” 

Xiumin laughed and moved closer, wrapping his arms around the smaller omega, and pressing a kiss to his head. “I dread to think, everyone would just be running around like headless chickens I think.” 

“Well except for Tao,” Luhan giggled back, “For being the least like an omega, he was sure…” a groan escaped from the strawberry blond lips, followed by a long sigh. “Xiumin…” 

“Okay, just breath,” Xiumin replied, rubbing his hand up and down the others back, “It may just be a pre-contraction…” the rest of the sentence faded out as an all too familiar smell hit the others nose and he shifted the other. “Right, we’ve got two options.” 

Luhan groaned and hid his face in Xiumin’s neck, “Want Kris…don’t want to go…” 

“It’ll be safer in the hospital,” Xiumin replied, though if he were honest with himself, he would choose a home birth over the hospital any day of the week unless there was a complication. Though if, and that was a big if, he was ever to get pregnant again he would probably be confined to the hospital due to the number of problems his entire body could have. Another groan from Luhan, followed by a rapid transformation into his wolf form, ruining all of the clothes that he was wearing at that moment left no room for argument and Xiumin stepped back from the creature to allow him to make a very careful way to the den of blankets that he had been building for the last few days. 

“Right, natural all the way,” Xiumin said, grabbing the phone to send a few quick messages and confirm a call before having a quick search around for Chan, plonked the cub into his playpen with all his favourite toys in it to keep him amused, and changed into his own wolf form before going to assist the birthing omega in the best way that he could right now. 

~*~ 

Sunlight was streaming through the curtains by the time anyone managed to get any form of sleep the next day, as even Chan hadn’t managed to get any sleep either. Not that Kris minded in the slightest, it had been a long and stressful night for all concerned but it was the best feeling in the world to be able to sit on the small veranda that led out onto their back garden with Luhan curled up on his lap and his son nestled safely in his arms. The tiny little being looked so fragile, even though he was wrapped up in at least five blankets to keep his little pink body warm. The alpha had initially freaked out that the cub had next to no fur but Xiumin had reassured him that by morning the cub would be covered in it. Everyone started out with only tuffs here and there which grew in rapidly as survival instincts kicked in, which was why omegas needed to immediately clean their cubs, tuck them firmly into their sides and start to feed them if they were to have a chance to survive. 

Little Minho certainly did not have to worry about surviving though, as he had been wrapped up well, fed and cleaned up perfectly by Luhan despite the omega being exhausted from a difficult birth. Kris was more than happy that the others were there, Xiumin helping the most as he knew what to do, with Yixing offering up his student nursing experience to help in addition to the doctor and nurse who arrived whilst Tao took up the job of babysitting Chan and keeping the cub as safe as could be. 

Everything had gone well, if a little slower than everyone would have liked but apparently it was usually the case with first time male mothers who birthed naturally as the body got a little confused. But Minho was with them now and Kris couldn’t help but just stare at the boy with a growing feeling of love for every second that passed. It felt different holding Minho to holding Chan, that much the alpha could admit, but it wasn’t in a bad way. When he held Chan he felt protective of the cub, he cherished and loved him like he was his own but there was always a little bit of worry in the back of his mind about how different the cub could turn out because they knew nothing about his biological father. Plus, the alpha worried that one day the said biological father could come to try and claim Chan away from them, which of course he would never allow but that worry was still there. 

Though with Minho, Kris found himself a whole new level of completely terrified. He could see the traits of Luhan in the boy, as well as those of his own and he could feel the pack bound already present, as well as his own family bound with the cub. It brought joy to his heart but also a fear that he could never be good enough, that if he failed his son then things would break down and it was just a turbulence of emotions. But that fear also made him pity Chan just a little more, because whilst Kris had claimed him and could feel his contented little heartbeat, it was noticeably different. Letting out a sigh, Kris glanced towards Chan who happened at that moment to let out a sneeze which woke the cub up. 

Chan blinked and sneezed again, before looking around in some form of confusion but then spied Kris and let out a tired, happy sound. Pulling away from the sleeping form of his mother, the cub padded across to Kris and placed his paws up on the elder’s leg, whining to be held and cuddled. For a moment the alpha was confused and worried about what to do, because he did not need to wake up Minho in the slightest but he didn’t want to upset Chan as the cub could start whining and that would just cause trouble for him. 

A little grumble, that could almost be considered to be a growl, came from Chan and the alpha sighed, “Okay, but if you wake up your brother, you’re dealing with the consequences.” 

Carefully shifting about, trying not to disturb Luhan who was pretty much dead to the world anyway, Kris managed to balance Minho into one arm and pick up Chan in the other and somehow get the two cubs resting against his body without crushing one another. “There, you happy now?” 

In response, Chan let out a yawn before wriggling a little bit in Kris’s hold and then managed to stretch his body and front paws down on top of Minho. Kris panicked, thinking the worst but after a moment the elder cub was breathing in gentle tandem with his brother and the alpha’s brain reminded him of the times on cold nights when his half brothers would decide to not be total dicks to him and would lie on top of him to help him to keep warm. A new warmth flooded through the pack bond, particularly strengthening between the two brothers and Kris felt tears pricking at his eyes. “Oh, my Channie, you are just the best big brother ever.” Gently leaning down, he placed a kiss on top of the cub’s head, “Minho, don’t you ever forget that Chan is your brother okay? I never want to hear you two fight over that fact, you hear?” 

Of course, neither cub responded as both were fast asleep, but Kris couldn’t help but feel just a little bit on the way too proud side already. A yawn escaped his lips and he knew that he should really go to sleep himself, but he found himself far more content just holding onto his growing family like this, so he stayed awake, watching over them all. 

Only to be woken up sometime the next evening with several hundred incriminatingly cute photographs which he was not allowed to see or attempt to playfully delete in the slightest. The only two who were not affected where Chan and Minho, who continued to sleep curled up together, letting the adults deal with the world that they weren’t ready to take on just quite yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors babbling: so yeah, Yixing got a sort of romantic date with Kris, everyone say hi to Minho (Lee Know as his stage name is for those of you who don't know) and Chan just being an adorable bundle of the best big brother in the world (and he's this fluffy in real life too, seriously) 
> 
> Also for those of you following Twelve, you've met the next alpha whose going to be involved with Leeteuk and the others. Going to start on that chapter soon and boy is there going to be fun with that. Hope you enjoy and I will include a list of Exo's members Chinese names so people won't get too confused if you've not come across them before. 
> 
> See you all soon. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mild trigger warning for ptsd but we don't see the full onslaught in this chapter though it's mentioned.

“Has anyone seen my son this morning?” Luhan asked above the clamouring chaos that was breakfast on the first Sunday morning that everyone had somehow managed to send together for the first time in a long while. Yixing was busy feeding Chan his favourite breakfast, whilst the human baby was laughing constantly at the omega’s funny faces for no good reason other than he found them amusing. Tao had his latest homework spread out on the end of the table where he was idly munching on some toast whilst making notes and typing messages on his phone every so often but at least he had the decency to have his headphones in so that whatever music he was blasting wasn’t disturbing everyone else. 

Xiumin looked a distinct shade of white and was half slumped against the tabletop, muttering occasionally under his breath and twitching when things go too loud. Luhan immediately felt concerned and moved towards the other omega, softly brushing back the long strands of brown hair from his nape and tying it back with a bobble which just happened to be around his wrist. “Rough night?” he asked softly. 

A silent nod was his answer, followed by a groan as Xiumin moved to hide his face in his arms as Kris appeared with a plate of food. The alpha sighed gently, “I know you don’t feel like it, sweetie, but you’ve barely eaten the last couple of days aa is and I’m getting worried.” 

Xiumin shook his head in response, not even attempting to lift his head as he attempted to shift away from the other. Yixing paused in his momentary task to swap over hands with the spoon he was using to feed the elder baby with and gently ran his fingers down the others back, “Do you want more blankets?” 

“That bad?” Luhan asked, blinking towards Yixing who nodded silently. Xiumin had started nesting at random intervals, which wasn’t uncommon for omegas to do once in a while, as it was a safety net for them, and it could reduce stress but in Xiumin’s case it meant something completely different. It meant that he was trying to escape, to hide away from the world which was either meant that he was either about to have a huge panic attack or that he was about to go into heat for the first time with Kris as his alpha. Whilst everyone knew that their alpha was the most perfect gentleman and would never hurt them in the slightest, there was still a lot of fear clinging to Xiumin in regards to what he had been forced through and there were so many discussions that had to be had about what they were going to do. 

Almost as if sensing their thoughts, Xiumin suddenly stood up and bolted from the table, accidentally knocking it in his hurry to get out of the way which caused two cups to sill and Tao yelped as he tried to save his homework. “Xiumin!” Kris called out softly towards the retreating omega, making as if to follow but instead found himself being blocked by Yixing who passed him Chan before shaking his head. “I’ll talk to him, I’m sure it’s fine,” he said softly, “Just…stress.” 

With a quick pat to Tao’s head, Yixing disappeared off after his fellow omega and Kris sighed long and hard, “I feel so bad.” 

Luhan shrugged, “I’m sure it’s nothing you’ve caused directly, Kris.” Smiling, the omega took hold of Chan who was making grabby hands towards him and cooed towards the child who was giggling, “You’re Mama is getting all stressed and here you are just being a cute boy.” Rubbing noses with the baby, Luhan smiled and then remembered what his initial question had been when he entered, “And where is your baby brother, Chan? He must be getting hungry.” 

“He’s asleep in the crib in the living room,” Tao replied, huffing a little as he tried to sort out all of his books and clean everything up as well, “He got breakfast from Xiumin earlier before…” 

Kris blinked, handing the youngest a better cleaning towel to get all the juice, “Xiumin fed Minho?” 

Nodding as he set his homework down, glad that only a few pages of notes that he didn’t really need where the only victims in this case, Tao cleaned the table a little more. “Yeah, he’s still lactating even though Chan’s virtually on solids now.” 

Luhan frowned at that, because by now Xiumin should have been drying up but he supposed that it had something to do with Minho being around. Though a smirk did cross his face as he glanced towards the youngest omega, “Your pregnancy tingles aren’t going off, again are they?” 

“Hell no,” Tao said, shaking his head as he moved to take his homework into the main living room where hopefully there would be no more juice incidents. “I’m not too sure what’s going on with Minnie-ge, he’s just not in a good place right now.” 

Luhan nodded and gently set Chan down into his playpen where the baby immediately started crawling towards his toys. A fond smile crossed his face as he saw the movements even if he was slightly lamenting the fact that Chan was growing up way too fast. “Bless him,” Luhan turned his attention towards Kris who was standing awkwardly in the kitchen, looking as if he didn’t quite know where would be best to go right now. Rolling his eyes, the omega sighed, “Kris, go see to him. Even if it’s just to be told to get lost, you’ll know where you stand with him.” 

Kris sighed, “Sorry about this…” 

“Don’t start worrying about me getting jealous,” Luhan replied, rolling his eyes, “The only one I would even dream of getting jealous of is this little brat here.” 

“Hey,” Tao pouted, “I never did anything to make you jealous.” 

Luhan huffed, “Oh just you wait, you’ll learn.” It was a playful insult of course, because Luhan had been there when Kris had been pining for Tao and it had been one of the few times that their joint alpha had been a touch neglectful at times. But Luhan had understood because he had too wanted the youngest omega with them too and with Xiumin it did not take a genius to figure out that there were times that were going to require the other omega to solely belong to his alpha. Which was slightly annoying, or it would have been if Luhan did not have an ultimate distraction. 

Minho had started snuffling and whining, almost as if he had sensed his mother’s presence and Luhan moved over to the crib where the tiny cub was gently wrapped up in an assortment of blankets. “Good morning, Minho,” Luhan sang towards his son, feeling his heart swelling with pride as he gently picked the cub up into his arms and started rocking him, “Have you been a good boy for your Ge’s and Ma’s?” 

“Mi-oh!” Chan called out, hanging onto the edge of his playpen, “Mi-oh!” 

“Shhh, Chan,” Luhan spoke softly towards the elder cub, “Minho is just waking up right now and he’ll be a bit cranky.” 

“Mi-oh!” Chan replied, clapping his hands loudly which caused the cub in Luhan’s arms to start making more noise. 

“I think I best get some energy out of this little tyke,” Tao said, moving to scoop Chan up, “I think he’s a bit hyper this morning.” 

Luhan nodded, then frowned as he caught sight of the other books, “though what about your homework?” 

“I’ll do it when he’s down for a nap later,” Tao said, then realised his mistake. 

“No nap!” Chan half yelled, “No nap!” 

Wincing at the noise, Tao looked apologetically towards Luhan before setting off hurried to the garden, trying to assure the cub in his arms that no it was indeed not nap time, but it was hush time until they were in the garden because his little brother had just woken up. Which immediately set Chan off with calls for his little brother, which had Tao groaning as he tried to distract the other with a ball. 

Luhan however just started chuckling and looked down at his cub who was wriggling about in the blankets to get closer, “Wow, your big brother really does love you a whole lot already doesn’t he? I’m sure he’ll be the best big brother for you ever.” 

“I think our Chan’s just going to be the best as whatever you put him to,” Kris’s voice came drifting in as the alpha approached and sat down next to his omega and the newest addition to the family. “Though hopefully Minho will be just as great.” 

A huge blooming smile crossed over the omegas face as he sighed and snuggled close to the other, automatically receiving a kiss to the top of his head. “I’m sure he will be, he’s just so small and precious like this right now that I just want to keep him this way for the time being.” 

Kris smiled heartily as he looked down at his small son and knew that he shared the same sentiments. Grown u life was certainly very hard and filled with more shades of grey than he ever wanted to deal with but at the time, the alpha was looking forward to seeing both of his sons growing up together. Carefully his long fingers reached to stroke at the silk like fur of the cub and Kris sighed, “I just hope they grow up happy together and do actually become brothers.” 

“I think Chan very much wants that,” Luhan giggled, still able to hear the youngster yelling for his younger brother even though he was in the back garden with Tao and a ball. “Though maybe getting him a new duck would be a good idea, give him something else to obsess over for a bit.” 

Kris nodded, “I’ll try and see if I can find one when I’m out later today.” 

Luhan raised his head in confusion and then recalled. “Ah…are your brothers going to be there?” 

“No idea,” Kris shrugged, “Jess said she would try to be though, and it would be nice to catch up with her at the very least.” 

Nodding as he shifted a little, Luhan tried not to think too much about the family that Kris was going to meet later today. He had only really caught a glimpse of that one time in school before he had even been involved with the alpha, but it was enough of a memory to make him wary about what was to come. Sure, the idea of being given a large estate that would be able to house all of them and then some was something that should not be sniffed at but Luhan couldn’t help but worry what it would mean. What they may be expected to do in return for being given the house or what it may cost Kris. 

A light prod against his nose broke him out of his thoughts and the omega scrunched u his face before glaring at the other, “What?” 

“Your son is getting hungry,” Kris replied with a smile, that was all gums and teeth. He looked a lot like a big dork like that and Luhan melted instantly because it was one of his favourite looks on the other. Glancing down at Minho, the omega smiled and lightly shifted his shirt to the side, “It’s a good thing I had so much practice with Chan, it makes this so much easier.” 

Kris laughed softly, kissing the crown of his omega’s head, and smiling, “Indeed it was. Though at least he doesn’t eat as much as Chan.” 

“Chan can eat as much as he likes,” Luhan chided back playfully, “He’s going to grow into a big boy and be the best ever.” 

The alpha frowned at little and then blinked, “Copying Tao, now are we?” 

Luhan grinned, “In this case, yes, you remember what Chan was like when we got him right? So small and thin, it’s no wonder he likes his food.” 

There came a reassuring nod from Kris, sighing softly as he reached out to stroke down Minho’s back with his fingers. “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten. Chan will always be able to eat as much as he wants, I’m just comparing him to this one in terms of feeding is all.” 

Sighing, the omega placed a kiss on top of the other head and nuzzled against the soft hair. Making sure that his own son was carefully held in his arms of course and not at risk of dropping down. Though Minho had strength in his body, able to brace himself far more steadily that Chan could have done at this age, but their circumstances were completely different and Luhan sighed softly. “We should stop comparing them, they’re meant to be the same and as long as neither of them get too nosy for their own good then they will always be the same.” 

Kris nodded, “I know, I guess it’s just a long moment of realising where Chan came from and what Xiumin must have had to do in order to save him. I keep wondering if there’s more out there, other brothers and sisters who weren’t as lucky as Chan and it just makes me want to protect him and Minho all the more.” 

“I know,” Luhan sighed softly, “but look at it this way. Chan gets to grow with us, he’ll be safe, he’ll be protected, and we won’t allow anything to hurt him intentionally ever again. He won’t remember anything from before, he’ll just be your eldest son, our eldest cub and the best big brother ever.” 

A sudden burp came from Minho which broke the sweet little bubble that the pair had fallen into and they broke apart with giggles, “Well, that’s one way to say your full, now shall we…” 

Raising his head, Luhan immediately paled when Yixing came rushing back into the room looking and smelling several hundred degrees of distressed, “Luhan! Omega crash blankets now!” 

“Shit, knew that he wasn’t right,” Luhan said, giving Minho a quick kiss before handing him straight over to Kris, “Sorry about this.” 

“Anything I can do to help?” Kris asked, even though he wasn’t moving from the floor as he held Minho in his arms and could smell the levels of distress vibrating throughout the house. 

“Stay here and look after the babies,” Yixing said, returning from the garden where he had called Tao and Chan in. “I’m afraid this is omega work only and I don’t know if even we’ll be enough.” 

Chan giggled as he was placed down on the floor next to Kris, immediately crawling towards the alpha with a bright smile on his lips. Tao petted the boy, “Now you be good for Baba, Channie.” A quick kiss was added to the tip of Kris’s nose before the youngest was rushing off. “If you need anything…” 

“I know where to find it,” Kris finished off, waving the omega away. Though he turned his eyes towards his first with concern written all over his features, “Do you think…” 

“If the cuddle pile doesn’t work then yes but let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Yixing leant down to give Kris a hug, “Will your family be annoyed?” 

“Fuck them,” Kris stated bluntly, even with the kids being right next to him, “You guys are far more important to be than that moth eaten twat any day of the week.” 

Nodding, Yixing gave Kris one last hug and then sprinted out of the room to catch the others. Kris sighed a little to himself and looked down at the two cubs. Minho was drifting back off to sleep, a comical little bubble forming on the end of his nose and Chan was watching him with rapt attention. His little hand reached out to pet the other before he stopped and pulled back. “It’s okay, you can pet him,” Kris said softly. 

“Shhh,” Chan responded, little index finger u against his lips, “Mi-oh seep. No wakey.” 

Too adorable! The thought filtered through Kris’s mind, but he smiled towards Chan, “Yes, but sometimes petting when drifting off feels good. Though you have to do it gently. Like this.” 

Chan’s head tilted to the side as he watched his father demonstrate how, brushing his long fingers across Minho’s back which made the cub sag happily. A few moments later the little boy reached up to copy the movements, taking extra care and caution and Kris really wished that he could somehow record this moment for the future. 

“Well, this is not how I expected to find the big bad brat wolf,” a new voice broke into the quiet of the home, causing Kris to snap his head up with a growl already brimming over his lips. Standing opposite him was an alpha, smaller in height with a mop of black curly hair, sharp cheek bones and a pointed nose that Kris had not seen in a very long while. However, there was a gentle twinkle in his eyes, showing nothing but affection and understanding and a loose air to the others body that suggested he wasn’t going to attack either. He was dressed in jeans, a too big t-shirt and had a Demin shirt hung loosely over his arms. “But it’s cute and Jess is going to have a field day with you, didi,” the young man continued, “Four omegas and two cubs, she’s going to be so annoyed you didn’t tell her a thing, Yifan.” 

Kris could only sit there, open mouthed as he stared at the other, “Lucas? How the hell did you find me?” 

“Oh, come on, didi, do you really think any of us were going to follow the old fish’s words and not keep a spare eye on you?” Lucas replied with a smile, “Even though we weren’t technically allowed, we do actually care for you, you big stupid lump.” The other shook his head, “As soon as the old man said he was thinking of giving you the estate, we’ve all been hankering to get close as we can but figured that you may take things the wrong way, Fanfan, so held back a bit.” 

Kris glared, “And then turn up at my house with no arrangement in place and just waltz right in?” 

“I knocked and one of your omegas let me in,” Lucas replied with a shrug, “I can go if you want but the old man will more than likely turn up if you don’t show and having a little extra strength…” 

Chan, having been forgotten in the exchange between the two grown ups in the room, made his presence felt by letting out what was probably meant to be a warning growl towards the intruder, but it sounded much more like a drawn out squark. Still the grim determination in his little face as he stood in front of Minho, who was snoring peacefully in Kris’s arms, as he tried to block Lucas from getting near his father or brother was enough to warn anyone who was stupid enough to think that a toddler could not do any damage to a full grown wolf. Kris himself had a bruise on his lower shin from when he had been wrestling the other and the term ankle-biter certainly had a strong meaning to it now. 

Lucas blinked and then smiled, stepping back whilst raising his hands, “Okay, let’s just start things a bit more civically shall we? Though I’ll say, I’m impressed, Yifan.” 

“Kris,” the alpha stated, not taking his eyes off his elder brother for a second. 

There came a frown before a nod, “Right, sorry, forgot. Can we start over? Please?” 

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors babbling: so this chapter was meant to be a little longer but then my ideas kinda went their own way and yeah new things incoming. Also I will admit that I barely know the WavyV members of NCT, I had to google them so if they end up being out of character I apologuise. Also if peeps want to suggest more chinese idols that I can use for side characters, family and other necessary persons that would be great! Hope you enjoyed and see you all soon


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> note: mild trigger warning for people sensitive to dealing with issues of depression/self doubt and a few other bits and pieces but quite warm and snuggly too. 

Yixing carefully repositioned several blankets that were currently making up the large nest that Xiumin was determined to bury himself under before carefully slipping his long arms around the tiny omega who was shivering badly. “We’re here for you, Minnie, you don’t need to worry or stress or anything right now. Just focus on yourself and what makes you feel good.” 

There was only a hiccup of a response as Xiumin curled in on himself tighter and more tears fell from his eyes. He had been this way ever since they had rapidly retreated to the makeshift nest and so far nothing that any of the omegas had done had seemed to help in the slightest. But really this was the first time that any of them had been in this situation with the other and there was no real rule book or manual as to deal with this situation. Xiumin was going into heat, his first heat away from the breeding pack that had brutalized him and tortured him and stolen away his babies excluding the last one and his mind couldn’t cope with the fact. 

Even though Xiumin knew that he was with his pack, was with his family and would be completely safe and never judged for whatever choice he made in regards to his body, his wants and needs, there was still a lot of unresolved tension and fear lingering in his body, heart and mind. It hurt to watch, to look at the omega shivering and whimpering away was purely awful. Luhan and Tao were close by, having both been hugging their friend before but Xiumin had suddenly pushed them away when he had started crying whilst Yixing had gone to answer the door. He had raced back without really thinking and chose to focus on his main concern right now. 

Mainly calming Xiumin down because they had to find some way of dealing with this. Some method of calming Xiumin down before he started hurting himself or the others, because the fear got too much. Of course, at that moment in time his medical training was completely failing him as he was far more concerned for his packmate than he could even think in the slightest and all he wanted to do was stop the waves of sweet smelling pre-heat from being tainted by the sour under taste of a terror he had no chance of ever understanding in the slightest. 

For a long while Xiumin lay where he was, hiccupping every now and then and tightening up his muscles in a way that couldn’t be comfortable in the slightest as he made himself into an even smaller ball that what he was in now. Almost as if he were trying to disappear from everyone’s sight so as not to be a burden. Yixing tried pumping out as many calming smells as he could, Luhan joining in but he quickly stopped after that seemed to make Xiumin freak out even more. Though it was probably due to the fact that Luhan still gave off a lot of post pregnancy smells which were usually lovely to most omegas but Yixing figured that maybe it wasn’t the best smell. Though when Luhan said he would head back to the babies, Xiumin shot his hand straight out towards Luhan and mutely shook his head. He was confused, lost and couldn’t think of any way to even begin working out how to explain what was rushing around his head right now. 

However, the other omegas of his pack just smiled reassuringly and remained close by. They got that Xiumin would tell them when he was ready to speak, or would indicate when he wanted something and it made Xiumin’s heart break just a little more. Yixing and Luhan were just beautiful souls who seemed to connect on so many levels and understood situations without having to speak aloud to one another which was a godsend for him. Tao on the other hand was just a beautiful ray of sunshine that seemed to instinctively know how to brighten up the room or bring a little joy or a wonderful distraction to any situation without needing a prompt at all. 

Like how, just at the moment that Xiumin twisted his head up towards the youngest omega, there was a soft smile on his face. Which was swiftly followed by a gentle humming as Tao placed his long fingered hands into the others hair to start gently scratching at his scalp in a soothing motion whilst maintaining the humming. Which after a few moments turned into a gentle, soft and familiar lullaby that Xiumin had not heard since he was a cub. 

“Yuè er míng, fēng er jìng. (The moon is bright, the wind is quiet)   
Shùyè guà chuānglíng. (The leaves hang over the window)   
Xiǎo bǎobǎo, kuài shuìjiào. (My baby, fall asleep quickly.)   
Shuì zài nàgè mèng zhōng. (Sleep, dreaming sweet dreams.) 

Yuè nǎge míng, fēng er nǎge jìng (The moon is bright, the wind is calm,)   
yáolán qīng pāi dòng, (Gently moving cradle)   
niáng de bǎobǎo bì shàng yǎnjīng, (Mother's baby, close your eyes,)   
shuì ya shuì zài nàgè mèng zhōng. (Yeah sleep, sleep, dreaming sweet dreams.) 

A small laugh, not even much of a long note, escaped from Xiumin’s lips as he allowed himself to snuggle a little closer to Yixing, whilst both Luhan and Tao pulled closer on instinct. “The day I’m your baby, Tao, the world will have officially gone to the wall.” 

Tao smiled gently towards the eldest omega as he continued to scratch at his head in the most relaxing way possible, “It’s the only song I could think of at short notice.” 

Luhan yawned, “Try singing it to Minho tonight will you, maybe then he’ll sleep without too much fussing.” 

Tao gently rolled his eyes, “Just let Chan sleep with him, it always works a treat.” 

“Chan has his own bed,” Luhan sighed gently, “He’ll crush Minho if he’s not careful.” 

Yixing snorted, “No he wouldn’t. He loved his little brother to pieces and would hate himself forever if he allowed him to become hurt in any form. He’s doing what’s natural, Lu, why don’t we go with the flow.” 

Luhan opened his mouth to argue but was stopped as Xiumin pulled him into a full hug and buried himself deep into the other. For a second the blond haired omega was confused and then he sighed gently and nuzzled against the one who was in distress, “Okay, I get it. I just got worried is all.” 

“I’d be more concerned if you didn’t,” Xiumin sniffled back, “They’re pack, Luhan, even if they’re not real brothers. Ow!” 

Tao had tugged at Xiumin’s hair, “Don’t you start saying that now. Chan is Minho’s brother and nothing and no one will ever say any different.” 

Yixing giggled, “Better watch out Xiumin, the baby is telling you off now.” 

Xiumin hiccupped, “As long as he stays as the baby I’ll be happy.” 

“Oh he’ll always be that,” Luhan replied, rolling his eyes, “Unless our alpha finds younger omegas of course.” 

“Not happening,” Tao pouted cutely, “Or if he does then he’s not getting near them until they’re of age.” 

“Agree with that one,” Yixing replied, snuggling down onto Xiumin, “I’m not putting up with him pining again. That was just a nightmare.” 

Luhan hummed and then looked towards Tao, “Wouldn’t you worry about there being younger omegas though?” 

Tao paused and shook his head, “Nope, it’d be nice to actually have someone my age around. Plus I’d be more worried about Kris to be honest.” 

“Oh?” all three chorused back at the same moment. 

“You saw how he was with me, can you imagine if he finds out that he has any younger omegas to deal with?” Tao shook his head, “Don’t get me wrong, I love him being so protective and fussy cause it’s what I’ve always wanted.” Tao had admitted that acting like an alpha all the time drove him up the wall, especially on the days when he just wanted to curl up in his bed with a mound of his favourite plushie's and watch stupid cartoons whilst being pampered to death by his big strong alpha. “But I know that no everyone likes it and if he gets a younger omega who doesn’t want to be fussed over and treated like a princess...” 

Yixing reached out to land his palm firmly on top of Tao’s head with a playful thwack, “Stop growing up! Right now! Stay cute, adorable and oblivious Tao please.” 

“I am not!” Tao started pouting before receiving another punch on the arm from Luhan who was also glaring at him. 

“Yah! Stay the baby, don’t like you being grown up. It’s not right,” Luhan replied before sighing as he snuggled back down to Xiumin. 

Who let out a gentle giggle towards the trio and managed to free one of his arms in order to gently pull the hand out of his hair and lace their fingers together with a gentle squeeze of thanks. “You grow up all you like Tao, just don’t get bossy and start making yourself Zitao all the time.” 

Tao chuckled at that and shook his head, “I promise I won’t, if I ever do feel free to hit me for it.” Lightly he kissed the knuckles of the other, “Feeling better now oppa?” 

Xiumin sighed and nodded, “Yeah a little bit...wait, what?” 

Tao blinked, “What?” 

“What did you just call me?” Xiumin asked, staring at the other with an expression that was a mixture of shock and bewilderment. 

Tao looked a little on the confused side for a moment, “Erm...Oppa?” 

Xiumin blinked, “Why?” 

“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to called you?” Tao replied, looking genuinely confused. 

There was a pause with everyone just being a little bit lost as to what was being referred to before Luhan burst into laughter, “Oh my gosh, have you been watching your Korean high school thing again?” 

“Huh?” Xiumin blinked, now completely confused. 

Luhan chuckled, “Tao watches some silly High School Korean Drama...” 

“It’s not silly!” Tao interjected but was ignored by the elder omega for the moment. 

“and he’s obviously picked up a phrase or two from it,” Luhan finished, shaking his head. 

For a few moments Xiumin wondered when he had ever informed them of the fact that he was originally from Korea but then remembered that they had done so on their first meeting back in university when Chen had been an idiot and thought that Luhan didn’t understand Korean. His mind wandered briefly to his friend, wondering how he was doing and where in the world he currently was but shook his head as there was nothing that he could actually do in regards to that situation. It had been three and a half years since he had last seen Chen and even with the information that he had been able to give Siwon and Leeteuk they were no closer to finding where he was. Even if he felt a little guilty about doing so, Xiumin brushed the thought aside as focusing on the here and now was going to be a heck of a lot better in the long run. 

“Thanks Tao,” he started gently, though with a little trepidation in his voice because he wasn’t entirely sure as to how the other was going to take his next revelation in the slightest. “But, erm...I wouldn’t go around calling me that too often in public.” 

“Why?” Tao asked. 

“Cause people will think that you’re a girl,” Xiumin replied, before giggling and chancing a look up at him, “Only girls say oppa towards boys.” 

Tao blinked heavily for a moment or two, then flushed and groaned as he hid his face in hands, “But they use it all the time...” 

“Yeah, girls do towards boys,” Xiumin chuckled, admitting to himself that it was adorable that Tao had at least tried, “but boys towards boys the term is Hyung.” 

“Hyung?” Tao echoed back, frowning. 

“It’s the same as Gege,” Xiumin replied, smiling and then giggling softly, “It’s okay though, seriously.” 

A groan came from the youngest which caused the other two omegas to start chuckling and then just full on laugh because they all knew that Tao was never going to live it down. But before they could start teasing him for it properly, their laughter was abruptly cut short. The sweetest smell of salted caramel filled the room and Yixing felt a distinct wet patch forming on his legs. Xiumin let out a shuddering breathy moan and curled in on himself, whimpering. 

Luhan was the first to regain his senses, “Okay, Xiumin, we’re here for you. You just tell us what you want and we’ll do it. No matter what it is. Just tell us, whatever you wish is, it’s ours to follow through with.” 

For a long time, Xiumin was quiet and seemed to be fighting internally with himself but Tao realised why and was quick to pull away from the cuddle party and head out of the door, closing it in such a manner that it was not enough to spook the distressed omega but clear enough for him to know that it was closed. Yixing knew that Kris was on the opposite side of the door, there was no way that their alpha couldn’t be and in a way he was thankful that it was Tao who had gone to stop him. Right now Xiumin needed experience and guidance to get through this and whilst their youngest had gone through heats, he had never really had to deal with them alone. Granted neither had Luhan and Yixing either but they both remembered what school was like and how to deal with pushy alphas. Thankfully Kris wasn’t, he had literally been given the title of the safetest alpha in the entire school by all the omegas, but there were still times when it was best to have a barrier between an alpha and an omega going into heat. 

Tao was probably one of the best distractions now, for the alpha at least, until the older omegas figured out what Xiumin actually wanted. Though neither of them actually had a clue if Xiumin would know what he was want at all. 

Hell even Xiumin didn’t know at that moment in time because all he could think of was the heat in his body, how it was burning it up worse than he could ever recall it doing before and even though he had two gorgeous looking and smelling omegas clinging to him like his life depended on him being there, it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t going to be enough even if they were all stripped bare and touching his skin, it wasn’t going to be enough if they shifted into wolves and did it as mother nature intended. Because Xiumin could smell Kris, could smell his irresistible scent and all he wanted at that moment was to be held by his alpha, to actually go through a heat where he was loved, where he was respected, where the alpha wouldn’t just be using his body but would worship it, treasure him and ensure that everything was fine. 

Hell part of Xiumin’s mind didn’t even care if Kris would get him pregnant this time around, all he wanted was his alpha all over him, doing everything that he ever wanted to have done to him in the correct and most beautiful of ways. 

That thought terrified him, for reasons that he could not explain and for the longest while he just lay between his two friends, his two fellow pack mates and cried silently because he couldn’t get it would of his head of what he was supposed to do right now. 

Until his senses picked up on the fact that his alpha, who had remained outside the door, was moving away and he panicked, “No!” he yelled very loud and clear which caused everyone to jump. 

“No?” Yixing asked back in an echo whilst Luhan looked to be slightly scared witless and kept his mouth shut. 

Xiumin tried to turn towards the door, reaching out towards it with a look that was lost, unsure and completely confused but also desperate for something, “No...no...” 

Luhan blinked towards the door and then sniffed a little. Both Tao and Kris were still there, but Kris was a little further away now, though thankfully he had stopped which meant that Xiumin’s outburst had reached him. Looking towards the confused omega, Luhan realised what Xiumin needed more than he understood at the moment. Whilst yes he was in heat and would need assistance with that regardless, there was something about having an alpha you trusted nearby even if they weren’t your mate. Granted Kris and Xiumin were mates but right now the omega needed a reassuring alpha to help him understand the mess that was going on in his head and thankfully they had the best. 

“Xiumin, do you want Kris to give you a hug?” Luhan asked, his tone loud enough that he knew the alpha would be able to hug. “It won’t lead to anything else, I promise but he gives good hugs doesn’t he?” 

Yixing looked at Luhan like he was mad and he was pretty sure that if Tao had laser vision then the door would have been burnt down to the ground by now but Xiumin seemed to get the message and nodded. “Please...” he whispered. 

The door was opened not a second later and soon their tall, strong alpha was in the space, gently pulling the distressed omega into a bear hug that may have been a little much but in that moment meant the world to Xiumin. More tears and snot appeared, as Xiumin started babbling but most of it was just heat nonsense brought on by the influx of hormones but it was easy to detect the stress levels dropping down a few notches as Kris gently began rocking the omega back and forth. Softly he ran his big hands through the others hair, noting that it was damp with sweat as was the rest of Xiumin’s body which made the alpha feel a little uncomfortable but he was firmly able to keep his head. 

Gently he turned his head, pressing kissed all around Xiumin’s ear and crown on his head, “There, there, it’s going to be okay, my little baozi, I’m here, you’re safe and it’s all controlled by you. You understand. This is all about you, I’m here for you but so is everyone else...just tell me what you want and we’ll get it sorted out.” 

There was a pause for a few long moments, clearly as Xiumin was able to focus beyond the mess of his mind and actually think of what it was that he wanted right now. Pulling back just a few centimeters so he could look up at Kris with his watery eyes, Xiumin took a shaky breath in order to gain a little courage before saying, “Can I just have you...just holding me, like this? For a little bit?” 

A beaming smile was sent his way before Xiumin returned to his previous position, with his face fully hidden in Kris’s chest whilst the alpha wrapped his arms tightly around the other and held him as close. “Of course you can,” Kris said, “Your wish is my command.” 

Though the alpha did briefly raise his head towards the door where the trio of other omegas were but as per usual he found no reasons to worry there. All three wore the same understanding expression and the alpha smiled before blowing them each an air kiss. Yixing blushed and slipped away, Tao playful caught his and returned it and Luhan pulled a face but was grinning too much to actually think it was anything icky but nodded to him as the door closed. None of the three really knew what was going to happen but they knew that Xiumin was in the right hands for now and if their help was needed then it was certainly be called for. 

“Ow! Hey, why did you bite me?” a new voice cut through from the living room, accompanied by a whine which had all three omegas rushing back. “You were my friend a moment ago.” 

“My Mi-oh!” Chan snapped, standing in front of the puppy that was his little brother who was chewing on the rubber duck, “Not yours.” 

“I just wanted to make sure that he wasn’t going to hurt himself,” Lucas complained, holding his hand comically which only had the smallest of red marks upon it but he was acting as though it was bleeding or something. Probably to try and get the cub to feel sorry for him but Lucas wasn’t to know that Chan wasn’t that gullible even for his young age. 

Luhan raised an eyebrow when he got around the corner and saw who was invading their living room and apparently trying to attack his son, “Chan, good boy for biting him.” 

“Hey!” Lucas started before recognising the omega, “Oh...erm...hi...” 

Yixing placed his hands on his hips, “And just what are you doing here?” 

Lucas managed to look at least a little on the sheepish side, forgetting about his hand for the moment as he rubbed at the back of his head, “Well we heard about Dad offering Didi the estate so I came over to talk to him and see if we could negate anything bad that could potentially be going on but then obviously all this was going on and then...” 

“You could have called in advance and warned us,” Yixing said, his eyes hardening. 

Lucas grinned, “Well, yeah I could but where would be the fun in that?” 

Luhan groaned, “Please tell me that none of the others are here.” 

“Nope,” Lucas replied, “They thought sending me alone would be a bit better.” 

“Than what?” Yixing asked, sounding quite furious. 

“Xiaojun coming along?” Lucas shrugged, but then glanced down at the still protective Chan, “Though he would have gotten on so much better with the kiddies I’ll admit.” 

“Yeah, a record for you on how long it takes to get bitten by a two year old,” Luhan deadpanned towards the other. 

Tao finally got a word in, “Erm, guys, introductions?” 

Yixing and Luhan turned to Tao in surprise and then confusion but then remembered that Tao hadn’t been with them last time there had been a family gathering. Luhan sighed as he bent to pick up both cubs, plus duck, as he turned towards the youngest, “This is Lucas, one of Kris’s half brothers from his father. Otherwise known as the biggest pains in the neck who are not entirely welcome in our midst.” 

Lucas sighed dramatically, “Look, all that stuff in the past was because Dad was being a dick and if we didn’t meet up to his mark then it meant trouble for us too.” 

“So you’ve all just had a sudden change of heart have you?” Luhan sassed back, clearly not happy with this conversation. 

“No...yes...look...” Lucas let out a dramatic sigh and shook his head. “It’s not what it seemed to be. We all cared for Yifan, we really did and we tried everything to make his life as best as we could but well...you’ve met father and you know how he is. We all wanted to reach out and give him support and the likes, even when he got sent to the school in the mountains but we didn’t dare because we would have been thrown out and cast aside too. But now...Dad’s getting old and has problems and other things which means that we all had to step up and take responsibility for our actions and everyone wants to help you guys out because it wasn’t fair and we all know that Kris is going to have a huge family which he totally deserves and everything but we just want to help to make up for everything rotten that that man did to him and his mother and in a way to you guys too...” 

He paused and took a deep breath, sighing a little, “I know we’re late to the game and we’ve screwed up so many times in the past but...Fanfan is still our little brother and we want to help in any way that we can now. It doesn’t change the past, it doesn’t make up for how we were or how any of them were treated but...it may make the future better and that’s what we want.” 

There was a long pause in the room before a deep chuckle came from the doorway where Kris was leaning against the frame, “I suppose the term is, better late than never.” 

Lucas looked up, a bright beaming smile on his face before he faltered, “Aren’t you supposed to be with your omega right now?” 

Kris nodded, “Yes, but he wants a specific drink from the fridge and seeing as you’re all blocking my way I couldn’t exactly reach it without breaking up all this.” 

Yixing was quick to move to the fridge to retrieve the drink and pass it back towards Kris, a silent conversation passing between them but the others did not notice. The alpha sighed, “I think we need a proper meet up with everyone, prior to any of us going to look at the estate. But first I have my omegas to take care of, and cubs.” 

Lucas nodded, “I understand than fully.” 

“We’ll call you once Xiumin’s out of his heat and things have settled down, just leave your number with Yixing and try not to get bitten by Chan anymore on the way out,” Kris smirked towards the other. 

Another nod, though Lucas did turn to look towards Chan with a knowing grin, “Hmm, I think next time I’ll bring him a little friend to play with. Then I definitely won’t get bitten.” 

“A little friend?” Luhan asked, protectively pulling the two cubs a little closer to his chest. 

Lucas nodded, “Yep, Jess’s eldest should be a good match for the little scallywag.” 

“Why, has he bitten you too?” Tao asked, raising a sarcastic eyebrow up towards the other who blushed and quickly hurried to give his details over to Yixing before setting off out of the house. 

There was a collective sigh of relief when he did go and Kris turned towards Chan to pluck the cub up out of Luhan’s arms, “Chan, I know you were being protective but please don’t go biting everyone who goes after Minho okay? It’s not very nice.” 

Chan pouted, “Sorry Baba.” 

“It’s okay, kiddo, just no more biting unless there’s real danger okay?” Kris replied, giving the boy an eskimo kiss on the nose before passing him to Tao, “I best get back to Xiumin.” 

“Yeah, you better cause I can smell him from here.” Luhan wriggled his nose, “Shame your mother is out of town, we could have gone and said hi to her.” 

“We can go and grab lunch out at least,” Yixing shrugged, “Once I’ve changed my trousers. We’ll figure the rest out. Go sort Xiumin out, Kris.” 

The alpha nodded before grinning as he pulled all three omegas, plus two cubs into a giant squish of a hug and placed a series of quick kisses on their lips, or heads for the babies, and then set off back to the room where Xiumin was waiting for him. Just managing to catch the bottle of drink which Tao threw his way because he nearly forgot about it. 

The trio sighed and Luhan shifted Minho up into his arms, “Right...lunch. Where do we go.” 

“Zuzu’s!” Chan immediately chimed in, having been placed on the floor whilst Yixing hurried to get changed, “Or Kitties!” 

“Kitties?” Luhan asked, sounding confused. 

The boy nodded, “Pink Kitties!” 

A glare was sent Tao’s way, who did actually manage to look a little on the bashful side, “I mentioned it by accident. I didn’t think he would want to go.” 

“You do remember that he loves Hello Kitty right?” Luhan stated. 

“Pink Kitties!” Chan echoed back, still at the point of recognising things by what they actually were rather than the brand name associated with him. 

Yixing chuckled, “Oh come on, it’ll be cute.” 

Luhan sighed, “I know but...just...” 

“Stop worrying about your manly image, Gege,” Tao said cheekily, already half way out the door as he caught up to Chan to make sure the youngster at least had a coat on. “That went a while ago.” 

“Tao! You come back here!” Luhan playfully yelled, setting off after the youngster once Minho had been safely passed to Yixing. The first omega just chuckled and set off after the running trio. He didn’t know quite what to expect over the next few days but a visit to a cute café was probably as good a start of it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors babbling: Double update, will explain a few extra things in the next one. The song was found via google so if the terms aren't one hundred per cent correct forgive me and Chan is still the best big brother in the world. 
> 
> Also, I'm going to stick this on the front too in a min, but I'm going with the Chinese names for virtually all the characters and I know some EXO-L's won't know them for the Korean members so here they are below, a couple I've not gone with for obvious reasons but it is important. 
> 
> Junmian (Suho)
> 
> Shixun (Sehun)
> 
> Buoxian (Baekhyun)
> 
> Canlie (Chanyeol)
> 
> Qingzhu (D.O)
> 
> Zhongren (Kai)
> 
> Also also, next chapter gets an advanced trigger warning cause I'm expecting to get fully shouted at for what I'm doing there. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update, make sure to read Chapter 16 first! 
> 
> authors note: trigger warning in place for mentions of abuse, the afteraffects of said abuse and mentions of abortions. I promise that both Shixun and Junmian will be safe in Kris's arms eventually but just putting this out here to make sure. 

“Please baby,” Junmian spoke as softly as he could, pushing a plate of extremely adorable looking cakes towards his younger brother, “Please...” 

Shixun looked up at his older brother, blinking slowly but with no expression in his eyes. Junmian was used to the younger having an expressionless face, everyone had always joked that he was the ‘ice prince’ for that reason alone but never before had there been no life in the youngers eyes. He looked dead, like he was just a body walking through life with all his soul sucked out of him and it killed Junmian so much. Because he knew what had to have happened, what he could have prevented if he had just been a little bit stronger, had lasted out another round and not passed out like the useless whim that he was. 

Or if he had been brave enough to give Shixun a real chance at life and be adopted away from him, he should have done that when the opportunity presented itself so many years ago because the couple would have loved the young boy so much and made him into a wonderful, happy, smiling and beautiful angel. Where Junmian had failed in every last aspect of being an good elder brother and had corrupted the beautiful soul in front of him to being nothing more than an empty shell who just existed because death would never be granted to either of them unless by the hands of the man who kept them chained down. 

Turning his eyes to the proffered plate, Shixun did not say a word as he stared at the cute treats. They were really quite simple biscuits, just covered with pink icing sugar and cute decorations that looked so tempting but the young omega couldn’t face the idea of breaking something so perfect. He knew that it was just a biscuit, that it was designed to look appetizing and made to be eaten and destroyed but right there and then, on the gleaming white plate with the pretty designs on it, the treat looked too perfect and like it should never be tainted by his hands. Even if he was starving and knew that he could do with actually eating the food, as he had barely eaten in the last week unless Junmian forced him to have a few mouthfuls of soup or water, he just couldn’t bring himself to even touch it. Which made him feel even more terrible as a person because he knew that Junmian had probably spent the last of his money on him just to try and get him to eat something. Even if they both worked in the convivence store, which had those horrible instant noodles that were easily accessible for everyone at any time of the day or night, they were not allowed so much as a single bite of food out of the place. Even the leftovers which couldn’t be eaten or sold were strictly forbidden to them by the store owner. 

The pair had only found out two days ago as to why, the alpha who held a claim on Junmian had a disgusting deal with the owner and neither one of them wanted to even think about what he had done to their names. 

Shixun knew that Junmian was trying his best to get them both away, that he wanted nothing more than to give his younger brother everything to the point of where he would spend the last of their emergency back up money on some pretty treats in the hope that he could get Shixun to eat something. Just so he could stay alive, so that he wouldn’t be laden down with the guilt that he had caused his little brothers end. Even if it meant that Junmian would starve and work himself crazy to just be able to afford a little bit of savings for the next month, he would do it. 

Why, Shixun had no idea, how it was possible for him to live each day with the knowledge of what was done to them both and how things would go from now on, but Junmian kept on living. Kept on trying and always said that if there was still a chance then he would keep going until there was no more chances left in the world. 

A tiny sigh escaped from Shixun’s lips as he looked up towards his brother, about to push the plate away from him to say that he could have it. That by rights, Junmian was the one who should have had it, if his scent was anything to go by, but either his elder brother was ignoring his situation or hadn’t yet noticed it. However, in the moment that he looked towards the elder, he realized his mistake as his heart broke. Junmian looked more desperate than he had ever looked in the life that Shixun had know him. He was too thin, with sunken cheeks and greasy hair and marks on his neck which were not very well hidden by the overly loose shirt he was sporting. There again, Shixun probably looked the same, if only a little more on the healthy side and he probably didn’t have to worry about carrying a child whom he didn’t want. 

It broke his heart, made him hate their situation all the more, hate himself for being unable to do anything to help Junmian and hate the alpha who controlled both of their lives. But, a tiny voice spoke inside his head, if eating a sugary covered biscuit was going to momentarily give a smile back to his elder brother then... 

It didn’t matter if he threw it up later, at least he would have given Junmian a reason to smile for just a moment. 

Without saying a word, he reached across and picked up one of the biscuits, pausing for just a moment because he didn’t really want to break it in the slightest but knew that he had to and gave himself a mental kick in the head. The satisfying crack as the biscuit split perfectly in two was enough for Junmina to raise his head in surprise before half was thrust into his face. “You too,” Shixun spoke the first words he had said in the last three days, “For both.” 

Staring at the other in shock, Junmian didn’t know what to do until the treat was pushed more firmly into his face. “Ge, if you don’t eat then I won’t and I need to you eat.” 

Taking the treat, Junmian felt shame and disgrace build up in his heart and mind because he didn’t have the guts to tell Shixun that he had already got an appointment to get rid of the baby inside of him. It wasn’t the first time either but they were his secrets to keep for now and if it got his brother to eat then he would have to stomach it too. Nodding slowly, Junmian took the treat and bit into it quickly. It was as sweet, sugar filled and sinful as it should have been and was probably far too rich for both of their stomachs but it was something that was better than what they could get when they were home. Even though Junmian did not want to go home in the slightest. 

The rest of their treat was finished in silence and for a good five minutes they just sat there, in silence with one another, barely seeming to be aware of the cute, pink theme around them as both became lost in their thoughts for a bit. Then a beep came from Shixun’s watch which he quickly silenced and looked down at the ground for. 

Junmian blinked, “Do you have to be somewhere?” 

“No,” Shixun replied, sighing a little, “Class was cancelled today because of refurbishment.” 

Sundays were the only day that Junmian and Shixun were free from the alpha that controlled their lives and from any work obligations and recently Shixun had started attending some martial arts classes which Junmian was proud of him doing. It was a step that would hopefully help the other to gain some confidence and a chance to at least defend himself but Shixun had said that things weren’t going that well. Though Junmian also suspected it was because he was a bit too distracted by one of the junior teachers but did not call his younger brother out on it. Or push him to make a move either. 

Standing up, Junmian offered his hand towards his brother, “Shall we take a walk in the park then? It’s been a while since we went there.” 

For a second Shixun looked a little unsure but then the tiniest of tiny smiles crossed his face and he accepted the smaller hand that was being offered to him. Shixun was tall and made Junmian look so tiny in comparison but the pair had just adapted to it a long while ago that neither of them really noticed anymore. 

As they headed out of the Hello Kitty themed café, Shixun found himself accidentally colliding with a child who was rushing forward with a cry of, “Pink Kitties!” and for a second panicked as the little boy stumbled for a few seconds. 

“I’m sorry,” he stammered out, lisp coming out strong and made worse by the speed he was talking, “Please don’t be hurt, I didn’t mean to...” 

The boy, who had curl black hair and large brown eyes stared up at the taller boy in question, “No. Chan should say sorry for running into mister. Not looking where going.” 

“But you’re small and I’m...not,” Shixun replied, feeling confused and caught between panicking and wanting to coo over the small child because damn he was so cute and if Junmian’s turned out to be half as cute then Shixun was going to be dead because he was not going to allow that bastard to even get so much as a finger on him if he got half the chance to do something about it. 

Though his mental ramblings were interrupted when a voice called out, “Chan! What did I tell you about running ahead of us?” 

“Sorry, Tao-Ge!” the little boy now identified as Chan replied, smiling brightly, “But I said sorry to mister I ran into. Didn’t I, mister?” 

Shixun blushed and stood up, “He didn’t run into me, I ran into him. So I’m sorry for that.” 

“No, I’m sorry,” Chan said, his voice genuinely sounding upset and very pouty. 

About to reply again with another apology which would hopefully allow him the chance to move away quickly from the situation, the young omega found his words stopping in his throat as a very familiar voice suddenly said, “Shixun?” 

Raising his head from the adorable child, Shixun blinked and blushed as he found himself staring at a confused looking Tao. A startled squeak escaped his throat, accompanied by a, “Tao-Lagoshi?” before immediately ducking his head back and stepping back towards his brother who was only a little bit away from him. No words could escape from his mouth as he felt the last few days worth of disgust, hatred and mortification bring itself back into his heart and mind because it had been impossible to not see the look of concern on the others face. Shixun should have been sensible and tried to cover up all the marks with foundation before setting out but he never would have thought that he would have crossed anyone’s path today. 

Tao however, was more shocked to see one of his students looking as though he had gone through some kind of beating and stepped forward in concern, “Shixun? What happened? Are you all right?” 

Shixun still couldn’t get his mouth to work and was shaking so badly but thankfully Junmian was quick to step in, “Sorry, he had a nasty fall down the stairs at our apartment the other night. He hopes to come back to class soon but the doctor said that it’s best for him not to over-strain himself.” 

Tao could only stare at the pair in shock and disbelief, unable to guess how anyone could think that those marks where anything akin to falling down the stairs. Before he could challenge that thought however, Chan let out a sound and then sweetly said, “Chan is doubly sorry for rushing into you then.” 

Junmian blinked and smiled, though it clearly did not reach his eyes, “It’s fine little one. We need to get going, sorry to have kept you.” 

“Wait, it’s not a bother,” Tao started, feeling his heart break as he saw the other omega, who looked worse than Shixun and smelt really strange too now that he had a moment to consider, “I just...are you sure that it was a fall down the stairs?” 

Junmian blinked and felt his heart go out to the other before smiling sadly, and tugged Shixun to get moving as two other omegas appeared in his vision, “Yes. Just a nasty fall...we’ll be okay. Come on Shixun.” 

This time Shixun did not need to be guided and Tao could only stare after the pair with a feeling of uttermost despair in his stomach. Yixing placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it tightly, “Come on, Tao.” 

“But they’re hurt,” Tao said, his eyes never leaving the retreating pair. 

“If they said it was an accident, then it was an accident,” Yixing replied, “You can check on Shixun next week at school or in class. Don’t jump to conclusions when you don’t know the whole picture.” 

Luhan huffed, “Unless your nose is picking up something again. But even then, remember that you’ve got your own pack to worry about first.” 

Tao wanted to whine or complain but knew that the older two omegas were right in a way, it just didn’t sit that comfortably with him that he was leaving the pair alone for now. In his mind however, he decided that he would pay them both a visit over the next school week and see if he could do anything to help. Something deep inside him told him that it was the correct thing to do, though he would have to find an excuse to be at the convivence store every night of course. 

“Pink Kitties!” Chan yelled from the front of the shop, bouncing up and down, “Mi-oh! Look, Pink Kitties.” 

Minho was snoozing in a sling on Luhan’s front, he had been awake before but clearly all this fresh air, new smells and buzzing excitement had taken their toll on him. Though Luhan doubted that it would be for very long, especially with the smell of sweet treats. Even though the cub was still far too young for them, he seemed to be very interested in them and Luhan could already dread what Halloween and Christmas were going to be like. 

~*~ 

Letting out a contented little hum, Xiumin shifted a little as his body was just starting to feel a little warm again. Kris’s arms tightened just momentarily around his middle before moving to accommodate, as he pressed a kiss to the omega’s neck, “Too warm?” 

“Heat warm,” Xiumin replied, sighing a little but more than thankful that he had two comparable sensations for warmth at the moment. Though he definitely preferred the big spoon heat that Kris was providing for him right now, and if he could just spend the rest of the interloping time like this then it would be very pleasant indeed. But no, his body would soon be wanting more of the alpha and the thought occurred that he now fully understood why in their university days Luhan and Yixing had been all over their alpha. Kris was obviously meant to please both of them, and himself he reminded quickly, but there was just something about the way that Kris did the acts that was a million times better than anyone else that he had had the misfortune of having experienced. 

Even the ones who had been slightly nice about the treatment and that one alpha whom Xiumin had almost, with heavy emphasis on the almost fallen for in desperation, could not compare to the experience that had just befallen him. Whilst it was a long stretch to say that he wanted more, or could even accept it, it was nice to know that sex could be pleasurable and heat sex in particular. 

Kris sighed and gently blew against his ear, “Do you want anything?” 

“For you to stay like this would be nice,” Xiumin replied, sighing gently. 

A light chuckle escaped from the alphas lips, “I meant in terms of cooling down, I’ve got some ice cubes in the cool box.” 

Xiumin groaned, “That would be nice.” Though immediately whined when the alpha moved his body away from his in order to get the ice. However Kris was back within mere seconds, gently caressing the warming skin and speaking sweet words into his ear. “How do you do it?” Xiumin asked as he turned to look at the only alpha who would love him from now on. 

“How do I do what?” Kris asked, looking confused as he gently pushed a cube of rapidly melting ice past Xiumin’s lips to help the omega cool down a little bit. 

“Be the most perfect, fairy-tail alpha in the world?” Xiumin replied after swallowing the ice, “You just seem to know everything and have the control of an saint.” 

Kris smiled back, running his long fingers through Xiumin’s hair and then let out a sigh. “Because if I didn’t care for my omegas correctly, I’d end up like my father and I’m not doing that to anyone.” 

A question in the form of a tilted head came his way and Kris sighed. He didn’t much like telling this tale because it always brought some hurt to it but seeing as his extended family seemingly wanted to be involved in his life now, it was best to start now. “My father...is Li Junseo, the politician.” 

Xiumin blinked and stared, “What?” 

“My mother was a maid at his house and they had an affair,” Kris continued, blowing out a sigh, “Initially when she got pregnant with me, she left but he then tracked her down and brought her back with the promise that he would wed her and I would be his heir and all the jazz that came with that. He even chose a name for me and everything...” for a few seconds Kris paused and tried to figure out how to explain things in his head. “But at the same time, he was engaged to another politicians daughter and things got nasty when they were found out. My father was given two options, marry who he was supposed to and keep my mother as a mistress with no official ties to anything or throw her out onto the streets.” 

“I’m guessing he took the second option?” Xiumin whispered. 

Kris shook his head, “No. He took the first.” 

Xiumin blinked, “But that would still mean that you’re....” 

“Technically yes, but I would be the bastard son and politics get a little angsty about that, even though we live in the modern world now,” Kris replied, shaking his head, “though at first things were fine and then his wife got pregnant and that should have been fine...but someone tried to poison his wife whilst she was pregnant and she blamed my mother, but it was proved to not be her and everything went fine for a while but then, every time that the wife got pregnant, she got ill or had something happen to her and she just kept blaming my mother. Until the point where my father had to choose between keeping the family together or breaking it because there was too much distrust.” 

“He sent her away?” Xiumin said. 

“Yes he did, with no proof of anything or any money or support,” Kris said, “He allowed her to take me because he knew that his wife would not raise me but I still technically had to make appearances and be around as I was an illegitimate son.” 

Xiumin sighed, “But your mother wasn’t the one who was hurting his wife, was she?” 

“No, Mama couldn’t hurt anyone, not even the man who spurned her for all those years,” Kris sighed, “It turned out to be one of the wife’s maids who was hurting her out of jealousy but by the time anyone figured that out, the damage had already been done and she turned the whole family against me and my mother. Made my brothers and sisters despise our presence and did things that I don’t want to talk about. What’s worse, is that my father stood there, watching the love supposed love of his life being degraded and treat like she wasn’t worth anything and he never once stepped in or raised a hand to defend her. Then he sent me away to the mountain school and started to act exactly like his wife towards her. If you love someone, you should cherish them and never want them to be hurt by your words or body ever and he allowed for so many years.” 

Returning the favour of running his hands through the soft hair, Xiumin guided Kris’s face down to his and pressed a kiss to those calming lips. It was soft, gentle, not rushed and pleasant as he pulled back, “You’re never going to be him, because you respect yourself and everyone else so much.” 

Kris smiled sadly back in return, “I just worry with all this coming back now about what he’s up to.” 

“It’s not him, it’s your family,” Xiumin replied, “Maybe it is like they’ve said. They've made a mistake because of what they were told and now they’re trying to fix it for the better.” 

“Would you trust them?” Kris asked, running his hand down the side of the omegas face. 

Xiumin shook his head, “I don’t trust anyone outside of my pack at the moment, I’m going to be terrible when Chan starts attending school and making friends and I’m always going to be petrified that...that van will turn up and steal him away...but I trust you, I trust your judgement and if you even felt the slightest thing wrong, you’d stop them because you care so much for me, for Luhan, for Yixing, for Tao, for Minho and for Chan as well as all these others,” running his hand down the alpha’s arms, Xiumin smiled, “And that makes me want to keep going and see what the rest of this strange world will bring because I trust you, Kris. I trust you so much and I love you...even though at times I am going to be scared, going to be useless and push you away....I wish I had told you the day I found you...the day me and Chen walked into your life...” 

Brushing away the tears that were forming in the others eyes, Kris did not respond to the words except to place a loving kiss to the omegas lips which he hoped conveyed all of the emotions that he wanted it too. From the way that Xiumin melted in his embrace, going totally lax and happy in scent he knew that the message had been received loud and clear. 

Before boiling up into something far more intense because that was the downside of heat, though for this round, Xiumin was not actually afraid of Kris and asked for everything he wanted which he received in abundance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors babbling: so yeah a bit of Krismin fluff towards the end to hopefully cheer everyone up. I know I'm being so mean to the omegas but I promise that at least two will have normal and happy lives before arriving into Kris's big, loving arms. Plus we've got some back story for Kris too which I hope makes sense and also gives reasons for why people were being a bit twatty towards him in the past but are now trying to fix it. Also a heads up warning with my planning, the relationship between Shixun, Tao and Kris is going to get very complicated - if you hadn't picked up the slight crush that Shixun already has on Tao, this is a warning for it being there - but it will work out eventually. Though I'm so glad I've got Minho and Chan to be cute and distracting at times, as well as a crazy incoming friend for Chan, anyone got a guess for who that's going to be? Also no babies for a little while, so you'll have to wait lol 
> 
> And yeah, so I know I haven't updated in a while but things haven't been the best lately and I kinda lost a lot of confidence and a few other issues that decided to come up and...won't go into it all because I'm just happy to be getting back to normal and working on stuff that I enjoy so yeah. All I can say is that if you feel low, please reach out to people and ensure that you have a good network of those you can turn to. Don't suffer alone or think you can get through it. Talking helps on so many levels and even if you don't talk about the issue, just talking to someone can help. 
> 
> Right, now that's enough serious stuff for the time being. Hope you enjoyed these updates, feel free to throw things at me and I'll hopefully not take two months to update but with an incoming Nanowrimo who knows. Update for Twelve will start soon too so keep your eyes peeled for that. 
> 
> Also curious to know if you guys would be interested in a Stray Kids world of this...either with our delightful cubbies (with a few ages and possible spoilers) or their own seperate story where they wouldn't be Exo's kids. Just something that I'm debating at the moment. 
> 
> Let me know and see you soon. 


	18. Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone   
> Just a quick message to say happy new year and Ive not abandoned the story or anything, just life got a bit crazy of late but I do have plans in place and hopefully an update will be on its way to you soon

Just an update to say Im still alive


	19. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors note: trigger warnings for mentions of abuse and blood, nothing too graphic but it is there

“How much did you eat whilst going through your heat?” Luhan playfully teased Xiumin as he hunted through the kitchen cupboards and found most of them quite bare, “I mean, I know that we eat a lot, but you’ve practically cleared us out.” 

Xiumin blushed, “It wasn’t intentional…” 

“Says the man who constantly ate cereal and noodles throughout the entirety of his pregnancy,” Yixing chided back, stretching a little to get the cricks out of his back. “And lord forgive if we didn’t have any berries in the house or anything of the sort either…”   
Luhan stuck his tongue out towards Yixing, “Just you wait until you’re pregnant Yixing, I bet you’ll make us two look like nothing in comparison.” 

Yixing rolled his eyes, “Not going to happen anytime soon. But we are going to have to do a shopping run by the looks of things, man we really didn’t get much in the last time did we?” 

“Nope,” Luhan replied, shifting Minho around so that he could help the wolf cub to burp a little easier. “Baby, I wish you’d hurry up and change, then this would be so much easier.” 

Xiumin giggled, “It’s really not that much fun trying to get baby sick off your back.” 

“I can’t imagine Chan ever wanting to be sick on you,” Yixing replied, glancing over to the living room where Chan was busy playing with Kris and his rubber ducks in an inflatable paddling pool, which thankfully didn’t have any water in it, “He’s too sweet.”   
“He may have not wanted to, but he did,” Xiumin replied with a very fond smile, “In fact I don’t think there’s a part of me that he didn’t throw up on.” 

“Charming,” Luhan replied. 

“You’ve got it all to come with this little one,” Xiumin replied, reaching out to pet Minho gently, “They all go through the phase of throwing up everything.” 

“Great, lovely advice,” Luhan said, jumping as Minho promptly hiccupped which caused the others to laugh at his misfortune. The omega ignored them, knowing fine well that they were just playfully teasing and was secretly glad that Xiumin was joining in. It was nice to see that beneath all the darkness their friend from university was still there and hopefully they would be able to bring him out of that protective shell even more so with each passing day. “Though I think this one needs a bath, as does the other which is sure to be a fun mess.” 

“Just give in and let him have all the rubber duckies and you’ll have no problems,” Yixing said, catching hold of Xiumin’s elbow, “whilst you do that, me and mister bottomless stomach here will go and fetch some shopping in.”   
“Why not ask Tao? He’s already out,” Luhan raised a questioning eyebrow towards the pair. 

Yixing sighed, “He’s at his apprenticeship today and really he needs some time to be with his friends. Poor thing is growing up way too fast and he should be a teenager for a bit. Plus, I’m sure Xiumin is sick to the sight of the same four walls and I’ve got a full schedule next week, so I want some omega bounding time without babies puking all over me.” 

Kris chuckled lightly at that comment, “I’ll stay home and look after the babies and Princess Lu then.” 

“I’m not a princess!” Luhan shot towards his mate, fuming slightly but with a glint of mischief in his eyes, “I just don’t want to be sicked on thank you very much.” 

“Oh, so it’s fine for you to do it to others but not for others to do it to you?” Kris joked back gleefully as Luhan approached him, carrying Minho in his arms. 

“That was one time, and it was due to someone feeding me way too many shots, so it was your own fault,” Luhan chided back, placing Minho down on the bottom of the paddling pool where the cub wriggled happily in enthusiasm which caused a laugh from Chan, followed by a prompt change to wolf form with no consideration to clothes for any reason whatsoever and two adorable cubs nomming at one another’s heads. 

Yixing turned to Xiumin, “Our que to exit stage left.”

“Indeed,” Xiumin replied with a chuckle, sending a wave towards Luhan and a shy air kiss towards Kris before fleeing after the other omega. Food shopping was not exactly the most entertaining of things and certainly not something that Xiumin would have normally wanted to do but an excuse to get out of the house and smell something other than his recently finished heat was definitely going to be welcomed. Plus, he had to really start getting back used to the big wide world, even if it meant doing the things that scared him the most. But at least he would be with Yixing and he was sure that the other omega would know the safest places to shop at so nothing bad was going to happen. That mantra started playing around in his head and caused just a little bit of a shudder to go through his body but Yixing, as ever, was there to catch his hand and give it a firm, tight squeeze. “Don’t worry, the main supermarket isn’t far, and everyone is lovely there.” 

“I know,” Xiumin took a deep breath, “Just still adjusting.” 

Yixing nodded back, “Yeah, but it’s fun to go shopping together. Plus, you can help me get some more clothes for Chan…I swear he’s going to have to go to Daycare naked at this rate.” 

That caused a laugh to escape from Xiumin’s lips, “I’m sure he’d love the chance to do so.”

“Not everyone else would,” Yixing replied, lightly swinging their hands, “But Mama always said that I preferred my fur until I was like four, so I suppose it’s normal.” 

A light shrug came from Xiumin, “I wouldn’t really know…we generally didn’t get to keep them past…well…” 

“Yeah,” Yixing replied, squeezing the others hand tightly once again, “Let’s not dwell huh? Come on, we’ll go and have some fun shopping and see if we can find some extra treats for everyone.”

“And a lot of sugary goodness for Tao too,” Xiumin replied, nodding, “you’re right, the poor boy has been studying and working so hard of late. He deserves a break tonight.”

Nodding, Yixing popped a quick message onto the family group chat knowing that Tao would pick it up at some point and reply in his cute way. 

Even though they were all proud of how mature Tao was and how he conducted himself, they did at times wish that he would pull the maknae card a bit more often and actually go out and have some fun. He was still a teenager at the end of the day, and he should be running around, playing with his friends and doing some crazy ass shit to scare them all to death. But Tao was the way he was and every time they suggested that he take it easy, it was a virtual guarantee that something would happen which meant that he would have to step up and help out. 

Xiumin mused on this as they made their way through the aisles of the shopping mart, picking up the items that they needed and checking on the prices of the extra treats they were getting. Though their budget was getting a little better, there were still times where things were tight and Xiumin was well aware that his medical bills alone would be adding pressure to the family regardless of what everyone said. Granted they had put in some applications for carer’s allowance and some other systems, but it still wouldn’t be enough. The omega wondered if he should start seriously looking for a job and had spotted at the front of the store that they were looking for staff but before he could even pick up an application form, Yixing had gently tapped his hand and moved him on. Nothing had been said but Xiumin knew that Yixing was just looking out for him and it was adorably sweet if a little on the frustrating side as well. 

So, he mused on Tao instead and wondered how they were going to get him to start acting like a teenager and enjoying life. A sudden chuckle escaped from his lips which had Yixing turning to him, Xiumin blushed a little and shook his head, “I was just thinking that maybe we should send Kris out to the arcades to see if he can pick up a young omega friend for Tao but that may be a bit inappropriate.” 

Yixing looked horrified for a second and then chuckled, “Yeah…no…that would be…damn we had enough trouble with him…. let’s just…Xiumin!” Shaking his head, Yixing couldn’t help but just giggle more at the idea. Of course, there was always a chance that there would be younger omegas for Kris, with the number of marks on his arm it was a given, but it wasn’t exactly the solution that they were looking for right now. At least not in Yixing’s eyes. Though he did have to admit that it was way too funny to really ignore and lightly he shook his head again. “No, we’re not sending Kris curb crawling for younger omegas, that would just be…” 

“He wouldn’t agree to it in a million years so don’t worry,” Xiumin said, spotting some ‘Fairy Bread’ on a discount shelf and pulling the box towards him to check over everything. It was fairly cheap and only on the discount shelf because it needed to be sold today but was brightly coloured and looked to be just the type of thing that Tao would like. Not quite cake but well within their budget too. He showed the box to Yixing and then put it in the cart at the others nod of approval. “I do wonder if there’s going to be a younger omega though.” 

“Don’t think about it, you’ll do your head in,” Yixing smiled fondly, “Now, should we get the pork or the beef joint? Both are pretty nicely priced.” 

Looking at the two pieces of meat, Xiumin shrugged as he really didn’t know that much about the different types except which may taste better depending on who cooked it. The feeling of being useless started to creep up on himself again as Yixing was forced to make a choice but he reminded himself that this was still just a learning curve and he had to be patient. One day this would be second nature to him, one day this wouldn’t be a rare treat anymore as it would be a normal occurrence. He just had to be a bit more patient and wait it out. It still wasn’t that easy to do in the slightest, but he was convinced that he could get there in his own time and make things work somehow. 

The rest of the shop went fairly well, it was quite late at night, so the main majority of shoppers were just there to get what they needed and head home as fast as possible which certainly made things easier. They even found that they had enough spare to buy Chan and Minho a new set of day clothes, night clothes and shoes each which was an unexpected bonus. Xiumin took no time to find a little wolf themed hoody in dark blue with dark trousers and a matching set of pajamas which he was sure that Chan would like and Yixing picked up weasel character for Minho that looked adorable if a little on the angry side. The two omegas giggled as they made their purchases and started to head back home. 

Only for a message to pop up on the group chat. 

Tao: I’m going to be a bit later than planned…something came up with a friend and I just want to check that they’re okay. 

Yixing blinked but then nodded and typed back: “Okay, you stay safe and let us know when you’re on your way home. If you want, bring your friend over too!” 

Hearing the ding from his phone, Tao smiled as he finished pulling on his sweater and checked the message. He was so thankful that the others wouldn’t pester him with too many questions about his friend and felt his heart break a little at the mention of bringing them over to their house. Tao was pretty sure that if he ever managed to convince Shixun to do that, he’d never be let out of the house ever again because of Kris’s overprotective nature alone. But the omega knew that was going to be a hill and a half to climb. 

Even getting Shixun to speak to him outside of a lesson was next to impossible now, the whole situation exasperated apparently after the run in at the café and Tao had not had a chance to get around to the convenience store where he knew the other worked for the past few nights seeing as his class had elected him as their Class Representative on top of everything else that he had to deal with. Sure, it was an honor and something that he had not expected but it just added a bit too much extra pressure onto his already rather hectic schedule. With Shixun being in the year below him, Tao had little chance to keep tabs on the other omega, until yesterday when one of the teachers asked him if he had seen Shixun around as he had not turned up for classes for five days straight and there had been no contact from his listed next of kin. Tao did not know anything and had informed the teacher of that and made it his plan to head around to the store tonight and find out what was going on. 

Even if there was nothing he could do straight away, he desperately wanted to help the two omegas because no one should have to suffer in the slightest. He would have gone last night but there was a report due in for his apprenticeship as well as an essay for his English Class, so he had spent most of the night in the school library getting as much done. Until Kris had come to collect him at nearly half eleven to make sure that he actually got some sleep for once and didn’t work all the way through the night. Smiling at the thought, Tao hoisted his bag up onto his shoulder and headed out. 

The walk to the shop was a familiar one and Tao was pretty sure that he could have done it blind folded by now but there was an uneasy feeling in his gut as he sighted the shop. The lights were on and everything looked normal enough from the outside, but his nose twitched a little. The usual scents weren’t present and as he entered the shop, he was surprised to see a completely different cashier in place. He blinked and forgot all about pretending to shop for something and instead went straight up to the beta.   
“Where’s Shixun?” Tao asked rather rudely, feeling as though his heart was going to hammer itself out of his chest. He couldn’t understand in the slightest why but put it down to him being worried about his friend. 

The beta blinked, looked Tao over and then raised an eyebrow, “Who?” 

Tao suppressed a sigh, “The cashier who normally works here. Tall, resting bitch face, omega.” 

“Oh him,” the beta replied, “Got moved last week, along with the other one.” 

“Moved? Moved where?” Tao asked. 

The beta shrugged, “To another store, I don’t know. I got given the job after they left…”

“Do they still live upstairs?” Tao cut the guy off, trying not to get too annoyed at him because he was just an employee. 

“There’s accommodation upstairs?” the guy asked, looking totally bewildered by this news and Tao knew that something was majorly wrong. “It’s just a storage place up there…at least…you mean there was…god I wondered what that smell was when I first got here.” 

“Look I know it’s not usual but…” 

“Yeah,” the beta said, ducking under the counter to grab a set of keys, “It’s not usual and all that but if anyone was living up there.” They both rushed towards the door and as the beta hurried to insert the key, Tao found his nose twitching at the most horrible stench invaded his nose. It only got worse as the door opened and even the beta recoiled away. “What the fuck?” 

Pushing past the other, Tao fled up the stairs yelling Shixun’s name and couldn’t quite believe what he ran into. The first floor was indeed some kind of storage room, with boxes and barrels set up but they were covered in dust and were clearly very old stock that had not been touched. But beyond a few rows there was a space which had been cleared out to make something akin to a living space. There was a bed made up of old soapboxes and potato sacks which had been slung together, a rather battered looking camp stove set on a shelf with a selection of older kitchen equipment and a plastic washbasin which had definitely seen better days. There was a room off to the side which had a sort of passable toilet and a couple of suitcases which held clothes. Tao recognized the familiar school uniform which was hung up on one of the shelves just next to a slightly smaller version of the other bed. 

But there was a difference with this one, as a shelf had been pushed forward and sent a load of metal tin cans onto the surface of the bed. An old chain had been the only thing which had stopped the shelf from fully collapsing though it creaked every now and again as gravity tried to have an affect on it. Tao frowned, wondering why anyone would push or pull the shelves down on top of a bed when he happened to notice a hand with long spindly fingers hanging limply out of the covers. The tips of the fingers were blue. 

Letting out a screech, Tao raced to the smaller bed, rapidly pulling away several layers of old sacking and what appeared to be some kind of blankets to finally reveal a figure underneath. Cold to the touch, virtually naked and covered in bruises, Shixun was blue lipped and something deep inside of Tao snapped. “No!” he called out, pulling the fragile omega’s body towards him, now fully aware of where the stench was coming from. “No, no, no! Shixun, come on, wake up, you’ve gotta be awake! Please,” Tao started chanting as he held the figure close to his body, trying to put as much warmth into the cold limbs as possible. “Please…no…don’t leave me. I just found you…please Shixun.” 

There was the lightest of light breaths on Tao’s neck, a faint pulse under his fingertips when Tao pressed against the youngers neck, but it only brought more panic to the omega. It was too little, too delicate, too much beyond the point of possible return that Tao had tears running down his face even though he couldn’t fathom out why in the slightest. A strange burning was on the back of his hand, but he ignored it, instead trying to focus on just warming up or at least getting some sign of life out of him. It was crazy, it was irrational, Tao barely even knew the boy but something in his heart, mind, body and soul was telling him that he had to keep Shixun alive. That the boy in his arms was so precious and currently the only thing that mattered. He didn’t understand why in the slightest and couldn’t even begin to fathom out the strangeness either but right at that second in time, Tao did not care. 

His instincts were always spot on and if they wanted to keep Shixun alive, then that’s what he would focus on. 

The beta from before stepped closer, “I’ve called an ambulance and the police, they’ll be here soon.” 

Shocked for a few seconds, Tao blinked before nodding his thanks and returned to focusing on the omega in his arms, “Please, Shixun, please baby, just hang in there. I’ve got help coming, you’ll be okay…please be okay.” 

The beta blinked, not fully understanding the situation himself but opted too just be ready. The omega in the others arms was in a right state, bruised and battered and probably very near to deaths door. He wondered how long the poor thing had been there, though if the smell was anything to go by, it had been at least a day if not more. He felt sick and wondered how he could have not noticed anything strange but opted to work that one out later. Especially when his eyes fell onto the opposite bed and something made him approach it. Lifting up the makeshift sheet, with the excuse of trying to find if there was someone else hidden underneath, a yell escaped his throat as he found a pool of days old blood staring at him and immediately ran to the toilet to throw up the contents of his stomach. 

Tao turned in fright towards the sounds and stared wide eyed at the state of the other bed, before leaping out of his skin when a weak cough came from Shixun. “Jun…Junmian?” the tiny voice was so lost and broken that Tao couldn’t help but wrap his arms tighter around the boy. 

“Oh, thank god, Shixun,” Tao whispered, pressing a kiss to the omega’s temple, “I’m here, you’re safe, you’re going to be safe. I promise you.” 

A pair of confused eyes looked up at him, so young, so innocent, so tired and so exhausted with the world. Clearly wanting to just close forever and never have to face a painful or horrific day ever again. Tao felt his heart shattering as he ran his fingers over the sides of the others face, “It’s going to be okay, Shixun, I’m going to take the best care of you and you’ll never be hurt or lonely again, I promise.” 

The omega in his arms blinked, clearly confused or on the verge of passing out again but there was a sudden spark in his eyes that spoke of him wanting to hold on. A weak grip came to Tao’s shoulders, no stronger than that of a butterfly but still present and a warm tingly feeling passed through every last muscle in Tao’s body at the touch. “A…alp…alpha?” Shixun whimpered, “My alpha?” 

Normally Tao would have corrected the other but in that moment, he felt absolutely no need to in the slightest. Instead, he just nodded towards the younger boy, before whispering, “Yes…my omega, I found you at long last.” 

Shixun started shuddering and tears rolled down from his eyes as he hugged as close as he possibly could. His breathing was uneasy and heavy, and Tao held him as tight as he dared, terrified of hurting the fragile little body in his arms. “Junmian?” Shixun asked again, “Where…he…baby…lost…so…” 

“Shh, we’ll find him,” Tao spoke softly, running his fingers through the others messy hair, “You don’t have to fear no more. I’ll keep you both safe.” 

Shixun nodded and leant back into Tao, clearly too exhausted from what had happened to him. Tao couldn’t help but think in that moment, Shixun looked so innocent and sweet, even with all the bruises on him and felt his heart go out towards the younger omega. Gently he tilted the others head up and leaned down to connect their lips together in a sweet and gentle kiss. 

Instantly he felt a buzz of electricity go through his entire body, followed by an elation of hundreds of fireworks which was quickly followed by a fire that tore through his so violently that he howled out in pain before collapsing onto the bed with Shixun. His body spasming as something began to change within him. 

Back at home, Luhan ended up yelling out of fear when Kris, who had been going to fetch everyone a drink from the kitchen, suddenly collapsed to the ground, his body jerking randomly in odd motions and a yell escaping his lips as a burning started on his left hand. Luhan rushed forward, terrified of what was going on and was thankful when Yixing came rushing through the door with Xiumin hot on his heels. 

“What’s happening?” Luhan yelled, panicking and unable to process anything even though he could hear Chan wailing in fright from the paddling pool and Minho joining in because his brother was making a noise and scaring him. 

Xiumin scooped up the two pups as Yixing tried to examine Kris and hissed when he felt a sting on his hand. He glanced at it and frowned, seeing a vague outline forming on it. He turned his head towards Yixing, seeing him in professional mode as Kris was now just lying still and found the only logical question forming on his lips were, “When you met Tao, he was a late presented omega, right?” 

“Yes, why?” Yixing responded, taking the first aid kit from Luhan even though he didn’t really need it. 

Xiumin thought for a second as to how to best to word what he wanted to say, “What if Tao…is an alpha?” 

The two omegas stopped and looked at one another, before turning to Xiumin, “What?” 

“You can get people who had two sub-genders,” Xiumin said slowly, “I knew one back in the other pack. She was an omega, fully and then she met her omega mate, and she became an alpha…her pack were marked twice because of it and…” 

“Our baby panda an alpha and an omega?” Luhan said, sounding shocked, “No way, Tao’s too much of a baby.” 

Yixing didn’t respond for a few seconds and then shook his head, “Right now, we focus on Kris and getting him sorted. We’ll find out where Tao is shortly, we don’t even know if this is linked to Tao.” 

“It is,” Xiumin said staring at the mark on his hand, “Completely linked to Tao.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors babbling: 
> 
> Hi guys, I'm back at long last but lets just say that the world went a bit crazy and I was recovering from it all again but things are looking up and hopefully with a new job on the horizon things will be a lot easier. Of course my times may end up even more stretched out but I will try. 
> 
> -ducks anything that is thrown her way- Yes, you did read the above right and boy this is going to be fun. Don't worry about our lovely Junmian (Junmyeon) he's going to be found and be safe as well but this was the thing I was hinting at. Complicated much lol. Plus it'll also explain a few things in Eight if you're reading that as well. So be prepared for Zitao to turn up as well as our fluffy panda boy Tao. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed cause I had fun writing and see you on the next chapter. -goes to work on Super Junior update- 
> 
> Stay safe and well everyone -sending big love and hugs to you all- 


	20. Chapter 19

Groaning a little as he opened his eyes, Kris’s first thought was that he didn’t recognise the ceiling above him, but it was quickly reported by the overwhelming sensation of relief from all around him. It took way too many blinks for him to realise that he was being surrounded by most of his omegas who were looking relieved to see him awake. Frowning, he groaned again and rubbed at his eyes, “What happened?”

“We’re still not sure,” Yixing replied, “Well, Xiumin has an idea but I’m not sure what to make of it.”

Kris turned his gaze towards Xiumin, who looked a little on the bashful side but nodded. The alpha noted with a smile that Chan was sleeping on the omegas back, wrapped up protectively in a papous and quietly sucking on his thumb. It was only a momentary distraction though as the omega sighed, “Have you ever heard of someone having two sub-genders before?”

A frown crossed Kris’s face, “Isn’t that like some strange storyline out of one of the shows you guys watch?”

Xiumin chuckled, “That I wouldn’t know but you do know it’s a real thing, right? Rare, granted but real.”

“What are you trying to say?” Kris asked, not really in the mood to go back and forth with things as he had a weird feeling in his gut, and he knew that he had to do something about it but quite what he wasn’t sure.

Instead of answering, Xiumin took hold of the alpha’s right hand and lifted it up for him to see. On the back, marked in black was a new mating symbol but it looked very different from the others. This one wasn’t an easily recognisable shape; it was more like a combination of two letters that to the tired alpha’s mind looked like an S and a T at first but then something primal kicked in and he realised that it was an Z and a T combined. Kris blinked, “Where’s Tao?”

“In another room,” Luhan replied, Minho being carried in a sling in front of the omega as the cub was still nursing. “He’s going through a series of checks at the minute, but they seem to think that he’ll be okay, just apparently passed out at the same time as you did after finding an omega friend of his in a terrible state.”

For a few seconds, Kris processed this thought and then seemed to pale a little, “Where’s Zitao?”

Both Yixing and Luhan looked confused at that statement, sharing a look between one another before Yixing chose to reply, “We just told you where he was, he’s in the other room after finding his omega friend in a terrible state and he apparently passed out at the same time you did.”

Xiumin nodded towards Kris when the alpha turned his gaze towards him, “You have both his marks, which means that he’s still your omega, but he is also an alpha to another omega…who may also be one of yours cause now I’ve just seen that symbol showing for the first time.” On Kris’s left arm there was indeed another symbol showing, faint and looking like a small hurricane but still present. Luhan ran his fingers over the mark, pushing up the alpha’s sleeve so that he could check and above there was a very faint outline of another symbol too. Looking more like a tear drop but it was much fainter.

Kris blinked and leaned back, “So my Tao is an omega who was brought up as an alpha and is now considered to be both?”

“No,” Xiumin replied, “Tao is both an omega and an alpha. It’s probably how he was able to grow up in an all alpha training session without being exposed as an omega until his heat hit. But now he’s met his omega mate, his alpha side has finally decided to present as well.”

“That’s insane,” Luhan said, shaking his head, “Tao is our little cute panda baby, he’s a clumsy idiot who begs us for cake and is an adorable lump at times. He can’t be an alpha, he’s too soft to be an alpha.”

Yixing pursed his lips, “Actually…”

“Look just because he does martial arts,” Luhan started.

“He went and got an apprenticeship to bring in money for the family,” Xiumin came in, “He always looks after the cubs whenever we’re too busy dealing with stressful adult things or me going loopy. He sorts out the house, the laundry, helps with cooking the meals whilst doing his homework and keeping up his grades in school and never once complains about doing any of it.” The omega paused, licking his lips, “I may have not known Tao that long but for one so young he does so much for the pack already and whilst it could just be brushed off as him being a homely omega, he’s too headstrong for that. This isn’t just him giving a helping hand, it’s him providing for the pack. Stepping up when Kris needs the extra assistance because we don’t have any betas to help out at times and probably won’t do.”

Luhan frowned, “But if he’s an alpha, won’t that mean he’ll fight with Kris for power?”

“No, because he’s Kris’s omega still,” Xiumin replied, “Look I can only go with what happened with the girl I knew in the other pack…. but she was an absolute sweetheart of an omega until she met her omega mate, and the alpha came out in her. The first few weeks were strained, as her body and mind had to get used to it all but those following six months, she was brilliant. She wasn’t a full alpha, though she had the strength behind her to deal with anything that needed, and she wasn’t a full omega, but she still cared for the cubs perfectly. I think our Tao will be the same, he grew up pretending to be an alpha, so he knows how to behave like one but he’s also still our soft panda at the same time. It’ll take some adjustment granted and it’s not going to be entirely easy, but I think this explains Tao perfectly.”

Yixing smiled, “When you put it like that, yeah, that is our Tao.”

Kris sighed as he leaned back, “And here was me, thinking that I would just have a nice, big, happy easy family life with elven omegas to look after.”

Luhan chuckled, “School should have taught you everything you need to know about how our lives were going to go Kris.” Gently he shook his head before sighing, “I just hope you’re right Xiumin and we don’t see that big a change in Tao.”

“Zitao will be fine, I think,” Kris replied, closing his eyes gently, “He’s a confused ball of fluff at the moment, so could you visit him before you go home?”

“Already talking to him through the bond?” Xiumin asked, looking a little surprised.

A nod came as their reply and the omegas looked at each other before they each joined hands with one another and Kris as much as possible. Whilst the pack bond existed easily between them, sometimes members could become blocked when stressed or if a sulk was going on. However, with Tao’s sudden change and Zitao presenting himself, it felt almost as if there was someone new in the bond who had to be welcomed to join. It did not take the omegas long to find the other presence in the slightest, and it was their Tao as they suspected it would be but there was a new sensation with him. A strength that hadn’t been present before, a glow that spoke of protection, providing and love for the pack. Xiumin felt as though he were seeing both sides of Tao, a soft white light representing the omega whilst as creamy blue was the alpha. Both were a little jittery at the moment, but they were in balance with one another.

Opening their eyes at the same time, the three omegas pressed kisses to Kris’s lips as the alpha had fallen asleep before setting off down the corridor to check on their new baby alpha.

Before they could open the door however, a polite cough came from behind them and an alpha doctor smiled warmly towards them. “He’s awake but is a little jittery at the moment, the two sub-genders are trying to align so he may be a bit unpredictable in his reactions.”

“Thanks for the concern, Doctor Sungmin,” Yixing smiled, “But we’re his pack and family, he wants to see us.”

Sungmin smiled, “I know he does; he needs to but just be careful. He’s a bit of a confused mess at the moment though I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.”

“What about his omega?” Xiumin asked, pausing things further for just a second, “The boy who was brought in with him?”

A tight lipped smile was sent his way, “Still down in surgery at the moment so I can’t tell you much more than that currently. But as soon as I know anything, I’ll pass it on.”

“Thank you Doctor,” Luhan replied, stepping up to the door as he heard an almost heart breaking whimper coming from the opposite side. “All right, you big, lanky, baby, it’s okay. We’re here for you.” Without even seeming to move, Luhan was right over into bed, wrapping the alpha-omega up in a hug and shushing him.

Zitao shivered as he was ugly sobbing at this point, but he clung to Luhan as tightly as possible. Yixing was over next, wrapping around the boy and after closing the door, Xiumin was over as well. Though he gently pulled Chan off his back to allow the tiny boy to cling like a koala to the front of the sobbing other. “There we go, your favourite blanket, hmm?”

For a long while there was no response from Zitao, he just remained buried in all the close affection that he could feel from the others and allowed his emotions to overwhelm him. He felt hot and cold, worried, relieved, stressed and tired all in the same headspace and he didn’t know how best to even start thinking things through. Thankfully the calming scents of the omegas and cubs helped him to ground himself after as while and he was able to pull back, wiping at the tears which were falling down his face.

“How’s Kris?” was his first question, eyes soft and terrified that he’d done something bad to the other.

“Sleeping down the hall,” Yixing replied, petting the youngster, “He should be okay, as it’s just a change in the bond with him.”

“What about Shixun?” Zitao asked, his voice suddenly taking on a slight edge that would have worried the omegas if they didn’t already know about the bond between the two. Though clearly Zitao confused himself when he realised that he had snapped like a worried alpha towards his packmates which was something he would never do. “What the hells wrong with me?”

“Nothing,” Xiumin soothed gently, realising that he’d probably be the one to explain again as he was apparently the only one who knew anything about this. “Nothing at all Zitao. You’re just worried about your omega is all.”

“My omega?”

Xiumin nodded, “Yes, Shixun is your omega. You have two sub-genders Tao. You’re an omega and you’re still Kris’s mate but you are also an alpha and that side of you has just presented itself after finding your omega mate.”

The boy on the bed sat back on his haunches, looking completely confused and concerned about this whole scenario before looking down at his right hand where the symbol was. He frowned and tried to rub it off with his finger but found that it would not move in the slightest. Glancing to the others, he saw the same mark on their right hands as well and then blinked, looking a little bit sheepish. “I remember doodling this same mark when I was a cub…I don’t understand.”

“It’ll probably take a while but for now, you’re safe and we still love you,” Xiumin replied, “Kris still loves you; nothing is ever going to change that.”

Zitao nodded though looked confused and then looked towards the door, not before gentle, “Where is Shixun? I want to see him.”

“He’s down in surgery at the moment,” Yixing replied, soothingly as he gently petted the omega’s head. “They’ll come and let us know how he’s doing once he’s out and then we’ll be able to start sorting everything out.”

Zitao nodded, pouting a little before he gently leant against the older omega and snuggled in, though of course being mindful of the child who was currently in his arms. Xiumin did not resist the chance to snap a couple of quick photographs whilst Luhan tilted his head to the side. Nothing physically had really changed about their baby panda, he was still tall, gangly and retained his cute eyebags and dark skin tone but there was something different that the omega couldn’t quite put his finger on just yet. However, the omega felt no threat to himself, his alpha or their pack and that brought a smile to his face.

Especially when Minho decided to wake up and crawl on top of Tao for the pure purpose of biting at his earlobe.

It was the next morning before Kris was deemed able to be safely discharged and his first place to visit was straight down the hall to Tao’s room. For a second he paused outside of the door, feeling a little on the nervous side because he honestly did not know what to expect in the slightest or what Tao could possibly do to him now. But as he looked at the two symbols on his arm that corresponded with his omega alpha, he figured that he had to go one faith with this one. Tao was still his omega at the end of the day and if he was also an alpha with his own omega then they would be welcomed into the family just as well. He hadn’t lost his baby in the slightest, just things had changed but it was a change that they could all very well adapt to without any real problems.

At least that was what he hoped.

The door to the private room opened and Kris had to brace himself almost immediately as Tao flung himself at the alpha. For a few seconds things were a little bit crazy, as scents and smells filled the corridors that were almost overwhelming. There was a sudden rearing up of hackles, some growling, some whining and then what probably could have quickly passed as a mini pushing and pulling fight but if Kris was being honest with himself, things were in such a blur that it wasn’t until he was laying on the bed, with Zitao on top of his body, kissing the life out of him in a dominating manner that he would be able to even begin to explain anything to anyone.

Not that he cared, the kiss was all lips, teeth and biting and not the usual sweetness that he expected from his baby panda in the slightest, but Kris felt arousal in his entire system and practically purred at the sensation. Thankfully Zitao pulled back first, clearly needing the air if his heavy breaths were anything to go by and those dark eyes stared at Kris with such affection but a determination too that it took the alpha to realise just what it was.

“Hi there, handsome,” Kris smirked back towards the younger, running his hands down the long spine to grope at the round firm butt with a squeeze, “What you are doing tonight?”

“Hopefully devouring you,” Zitao replied, his tone sure, confident and just a little deeper than normal but then a blush cutely crossed his cheeks, “That is…if you…ah! Hey!”

Kris had taken it upon himself to smack Zitao on his behind and whilst there wasn’t any real strength in it, with the thin pyjamas the other was wearing they wouldn’t have provided much protection. Plus, for reasons that he could not quite understand, Kris was feeling bold and reckless with his new addition to the family. Zitao brought out a wildness in him that he didn’t expect, but there again, he recalled faintly how it had been with some of the other alphas at school before they all turned into dicks when it came to grabbing omegas. They playful taunting, the jibing back and forth, the rough and tumble. It had been fun and wild but never aggressive and harsh.

Zitao nipped at his nose in retaliation, smirking slightly as he leaned down to press a series of kissed to the alpha’s lips as he said each work, “It’s a good thing that I love you so much.”

“Hmmm,” Kris replied, trying to pull Zitao back in for a proper kiss but failing because the younger pulled back to sit on his lap with a look which clearly said that he wanted to talk. Sighing, Kris sat up and used one arm to ensure that the youngster sitting in his lap would remain where he was safely. “I love you to,” he replied, gently brushing a strand of black hair away from the others dark eyes, “This doesn’t change anything in regards to that.”

A sigh came from Zitao, “It changes a lot for the pack though.”

“The pack will be fine, Tao,” Kris replied softly, kissing the tip of the others nose, “Sure it’s going to take a little bit of adjusting but until we’re all together it’s going to probably be like this for a while.”

“I know but…” Zitao sighed, shaking his head, “Kris, I have my own mate. An omega who I’m supposed to protect and love and cherish and all that and yet I’m still your omega who’s supposed to provide you with cubs and keep the line going and it’s just…”

Kris shook his head, placing a kiss onto the others forehead, “Tao, I’ve never thought of you just as someone to give me cubs. That’s a horrible way to think of any omega, especially yourself. Yes, you have a mate of your own, which will probably mean that we’ll have a lot of hormones and other issues to deal with but at the same time, this is how things are meant to be.”

Shifting so he could show Tao his arm with the double symbols on it, Kris smiled, “I’m marked with both yourself as my baby Tao and as the alpha Zitao. You bare the same marks in the same places and that means we’re together on this no matter what. Back in the day, packs used to have alphas, betas and omegas all together. This is going to be no different, we’ll just have to work things out and to the frank, at least this time you’re not underage and have to be taken away from me again because that would kill me.”

A snorting laugh escaped Zitao’s lips as he nodded, “It’d kill me too…”

Half expecting the boy to curl up on him for a long cuddle, Kris was instead surprised when instead the teen tilted his head to his left hand arm and traced the two marks there. A look of anger crossed his face for just a second before he shook his head and frowned, then slowly looked up at Kris, “How come you have Shixun’s mark?”

There was a tiny little threat behind the words, but Kris just brushed it off. Now was not the time to be getting all caught up in alpha spats. Plus, he could tell that Zitao was more confused and to be honest, so was Kris. A shrug was sent the youngsters way, “Is it his mark?”

Zitao nodded and lifted up his sleeve to show the familiar hurricane mark on his left on, which was in the exact same place as Kris’s. However, his was dark and fully formed, whereas Kris’s was a light grey. Zitao thoughtfully ran his fingers over the matching mark, frowning, “Wait…is Shixun your mate as well?”

“I don’t know,” Kris replied, “I didn’t actually notice it…”

“You have another one too,” Zitao cut in, still examining the others arm and noting the water droplet, “But that one is much fainter.”

Again, Kris shook his head, “I don’t recall meeting any omegas that I felt a connection to recently, unless somehow Shixun is connected to me as well but…I don’t know, and I promise I will not try to steal him away from you.”

Zitao snorted, “Would never ever let you try.”

Kris laughed at the expression that Zitao was pulling, almost as if he had never thought that he’d say something like that towards his own alpha. Gently he grabbed Tao’s nose and shook his head from side to side, “All right, mister sassy-pants, keep your cool on, will you?”

Batting the hand away, Zitao glared playfully but then let out a frustrated sigh and hung his head to lightly tug at his hair. “I really don’t get this.”

“We’ll figure it out in time, baby,” Kris said, leaning forward for the purpose of tugging the others hands away from his hair so he would stop hurting himself and also adding in a kiss for good measure. “You’re still mine, that’s never going to change and if your Shixun is also one of my mates then we’ll make it work somehow.”

About to argue, Zitao deflated because he realised that there was nothing really to argue about. Sure, there was going to be an adjustment, changes and working out where everyone fitted in but that was always the case. They had to change things drastically when he turned up on the scene, with his sudden presentation and then all the problems with the social workers due to his age and everything else. Then Xiumin and Chan had landed on them quite unexpectedly which meant not only accommodating an omega who had been abused and driven to absolute horror, but also a cub who was underfed and very sick for the first few nights.

Then Minho’s arrival had changed thing around again, but at least they had been a little bit prepared for that. Though Zitao couldn’t help but smile a little at the thought that they had already been through so much together as a pack and yet here they all were, still surviving and getting through everything. Becoming an alpha omega was going to be strange and probably a little unstable at times but he had gone from being an alpha to an omega so all he had to learn this time was how to balance the two. Kris still loved him, the other omegas still loved him, and the cubs still liked to try and eat his ears which was there way of showing they cared.

So, all in all, his pack wasn’t going to disappear or dismantle itself because of his new presentation. It was going to change and grow stronger and they were all going to love and adore Shixun to pieces. Though for a second he mused on why the presentation hadn’t happened earlier because Zitao had been around Sehun for the last six months so surely, he would have picked up on the fact that the other was his omega earlier?

There again, his own presentation as an omega had been delayed drastically and maybe it had only been the last month that Shixun had actually started presenting properly as an omega as well. He remembered back at the café, when he had seen the pair, how it was the first time that he had really taken note of Shixun’s scent and then learnt through class three days later that it had been the youngers seventeenth birthday.

Most people presented at thirteen but didn’t start having heats or ruts until they were eighteen, which meant their scents were repressed as well. Sometimes they could start earlier, especially for omegas, but they had to be treated with extra care and attention when that happened unless they found their mate straight away like he had.

A light bonk came to his head, causing Zitao to glare up at Kris, “What?”

“Stop overthinking, I can hear the gears in your head turning,” Kris smiled back, placing a kiss on the others head, “Why don’t we go and visit Shixun? The doctor said we should be able to do so now.”

Zitao practically jumped up at the mere mention of visiting the other, looking ever so keen and eager which made Kris want to coo at him, but he refrained. Whilst he was pretty sure that he was allowed to coo at the other, he also knew that it was a bad idea to keep him waiting on anything for too long, especially not that he had clear signs of alphaness coming through too. Standing up, Kris did chuckle though, “Maybe putting on some more appropriate clothes, might be a good idea.”

Looking down at himself, Zitao flushed before rushing to the bag that was set on the other side of the room and rifling through it. Kris took the opportunity to check on the family group chat and was happy to see a bunch of cute pictures of Chan and Minho, who had finally turned into his human form, and messages that they would be along shortly to pick him up. Sending a quick message that he was visiting Zitao’s new omega, Kris turned to look at the other, “Luhan wants to know if you want treats brought in?”

“What kind?” Zitao asked, finishing zipping up the front of his Avengers tracksuit top.

“Fairy Bread or Cake?” Kris asked, then rolled his eyes immediately at the glare he received back because he really should already know the answer to what question. “Fine, sorry, I was just double checking.”

“The biggest one they can get,” Zitao said, grinning, “I want to be able to share it with Shixun to!”

“Okay, chill out, we don’t even know if he can have cake yet,” Kris smirked, passing the message on and linking arms with the alpha omega before leading him out of the room and to the ICU. They did tell the staff where they were going first though, because the last thing they needed was any type of panic that one of their patients had gone missing.

Shixun was in the children’s section of the ICU, purely due to his age but he had been separated off into his own private area so that he would not be disturbed too much. Blinking as they approached, Kris immediately felt his heart go out to the boy as he allowed Zitao to go ahead of him. Shixun looked so pale and fragile, though by all reports he was definitely a brighter shade than he had been when he first arrived. There were still numerous bruises all over his face and probably his body too, but they were thankfully covered with a blanket and long sleeve on the hospital issued pyjamas he wore. But despite all the harshness that currently marred the skin of the tall omega, Kris had to admit that he did look adorably cute in a unique sort of way. Already his alpha was on alert for any predators or anything that could harm the boy in the bed which was natural in one respect but reminded Kris of just how possibly complicated this whole situation could become. For now, though, he kept his distance, having been advised that Shixun did not respond well to unknown alphas.

Zitao gently ran his fingers over Shixun’s resting face, feeling tears pricking at his eyes but he held them back before leaning forward to gently press a kiss to the soft lips. A tiny gasp of surprise accompanied the action and the alpha pulled back to see a wide pair of gorgeous brown eyes staring at them. They blinked repeatedly, as if not quite believing that the person they were seeing was real before Shixun shakily reached out to Zitao and copied the movement. It was much slower, with clear nerves hidden behind it and the boy almost hid in the pillows as he leaned back. “You…you really…you really came back?”

“Of course, I did,” Zitao replied, running his fingers through the others hair, marvelling at how good it felt after getting a basic wash and comb. “I wouldn’t have left you in that situation alone.”

Shixun started trembling, “I…I…I…”

“Shush, it’s okay,” Zitao said, trying to lower the others distress, “Don’t think about it now. We can talk about it later. You just need to focus on getting better and healing.”

Shixun sniffled and shook his head, “They’ll take me away…”

“They won’t,” Zitao said, not entirely knowing who they were but confident that nothing was going to happen to the youngster anymore. “They won’t get anywhere near you ever again.”

“But you…you’re not…they won’t accept us,” Shixun started crying, “They won’t let me stay with you cause…”

Zitao leant down to kiss Shixun again, “Oh they will. They won’t separate us.”

“How?” Shixun started, coughing a little and turning his head to the side on instinct. His eyes landed on Kris, who was just standing in the doorway quietly and the omega tensed up. His whole body went rigid, eyes wide and wild and a scream just started on the tip of his tongue but Zitao was quick to place a calming hand on the boy’s cheek.

“No, no, none of that,” Zitao said as calmly and warmly as he could.

“But!”

“Do you trust me, Shixun?”

“Yes! You’re my mate…I…. but he’s…an alpha and they…” Shixun stuttered and stammered horribly, “He’s going to take you away from me!”

Tears were falling down the omegas face, stress and agony clear even without the soured scent that was coming off him. Zitao pulled Shixun close, rubbing his hand up and down the length of the others spine and began subconsciously pumping out soothing pheromones to calm the omega down. It still took a good ten minutes of soft reassurances and gentle petting before Shixun was even able to focus properly on his own alpha in front of him. He peaked up nervousness through his eye-lashes at the other, fearing that he may have overstepped some invisible boundary and clung to Zitao like a limpet.

Kris had to fight with himself internally to not move from his spot, because all his instincts were screaming at him to rush straight over to the omega and comfort him, but it was clear that was not something that he could do. But god did he want to.

Zitao repressed a sigh and gently kissed Shixun’s forehead, “Kris is not going to take you away from me or me away from you, Shixun.”

“How can you know that?” Shixun whispered, sounding terrified.

“Because he is my mate,” Zitao stated, holding onto the other omega just a little tighter, “I know, I know it’s crazy and just breath with me for a moment, okay?” Going through the breathing exercises that they did in class for focus and zen work, Zitao allowed Shixun to calm down again before smiling softly. “You’re my mate, we’re marked identically see?” Zitao said, showing the marks as clear as day to Shixun which allowed a small upturn of the corners of the omegas lips before his eyes fell on the time glass mark. The omega reached forward to rub his fingers over it, with confusion clearly on his face and Zitao petted him gently. “Yes, I was an omega, I am still am an omega. I’m Kris’s omega and nothing is going to change that. But I’m also your alpha, you are my mate, and nothing is going to change that either.”

Shixun blinked, looking at Zitao confused, “But…you were always an alpha?”

“To you maybe but not to the rest of the world,” Zitao smiled. “My family pack raised me as an alpha, even though they knew me to be an omega. It was for my protection, but I presented really late and it was by chance that I happened to find Kris and the rest of our pack when I was sixteen. I’ve practically lived with them ever since and I’ve always been an omega, until I saw you and when I found you in that room above the store…gods, how long had you been up there, Shixun? Who did that to you?”

A shake of the head was Shixun’s reply, before he hid his face in the elder’s chest, “Don’t want…to talk about it.”

“Okay, we won’t now but you’ll have to be brave at some point and tell the authorities so we can get the people who did this to you,” Zitao replied softly, petting the omega.

“Junmian…. will tell you…better than me…” Shixun sniffed, clinging to Zitao all the more.

Zitao blinked, “Junmian?”

“Yeah…he…knows…” Shixun replied.

“Right, do you know where he is?” Zitao asked softly.

Pulling back with a start, Shixun looked at Zitao terrified, “What?”

“Huh?” Zitao replied.

“What do you mean, do you know where he is?” Shixun stammered out.

Zitao blinked, “Exactly that…you were the only one in the storage space…”

“No! Junmian wasn’t…he was in…the other bed!” Shixun started to panic, “He was bleeding! He was losing the baby and that bastard wouldn’t take him to someone professional! He had to be there! He just had to be!”

Zitao turned to look at Kris who was already turning to try and speak to the doctors even though they were rushing as Shixun’s monitors were going berserk with his panic. “He was on the other bed, bleeding out and that alpha wouldn’t take him anywhere! Said he would fetch someone to help and Junmian was screaming and I tried to help with some herbal tea, but he threw me against my own bed and told me to stay quiet and pulled the shelving down which had all the tins on it…” Pausing, Shixun suddenly seemed to come to himself and glanced around the room, “What day is it? Date?”

“Sunday,” Zitao replied, reeling from all the information that had just been spewed at him. “The 17th.”

“No, no, no, it can’t be!” Shixun said, “Please, Zitao, tell me you’re lying.”

“I’m not,” Zitao replied, “You hadn’t turned up to school for five days and there was no reply from any attempted contacts which is why the teachers asked me if I knew what happened to you and that’s why I came to the store.”

“F-f-f-five days?” Shixun stammered out, shaking his head, “No! How can that be! It was Saturday 10th , today should be Sunday 11th!”

Placing his hands either side of Shixun’s face, Zitao made direct eye contact and once again ran through the breathing exercises in order to calm the omega down. Once he was calm enough again, Zitao kissed him, “It’s Sunday 11th, I promise you I’m not lying.”

“Then where is Junmian!” Shixun wailed, “Why did he take him away when he said he was bringing someone to him because of the baby?”

With no words to reply, Zitao turned to back where he had last seen his alpha, only to see several omega professionals getting ready to enter and one alpha doctor who was taking notes. Kris was talking to someone off to the side and looking pale and Zitao could only return his attention back to Shixun, “I don’t know, but we’ll find him. I promise you.”

Shixun may have wanted to argue but his mind decided right at that moment that he had had far too much emotional excitement for the time being and drove exhaustion straight through his mind and body. He slumped against Zitao, weeping but unable to do anything else whilst his alpha comforted him the best that he could. The nurses were quickly in to administer a sedative to ensure that Shixun did not stress or hurt himself anymore and to take vital readings.

Kris felt as though he was going to throw up with all the information that he had just heard and was already in the process of trying to contact Siwon to see if he could do some extra detective work on top of everything else that he had going on. But before the call could connect, there came the sound of rushing feet and he looked up in surprise to find Lucas hurrying towards him.

“Yifan! Thank god I’ve found you!” he cried, looking furious.

“Lucas? What the hell? What’s wrong?” Kris asked, sure his nerves were going to be stripped bare by the end of all this mess.

Lucas took a second to catch his breath, “If I had known what the bastard was doing before, I swear to you that I would have exposed his sorry operation and kicked him out of the family and put you in his place years ago! I swear to you I would.”

“What?” Kris asked, “Lucas, I’m really busy with…”

“I know! But I thought it best to come and talk to you directly seeing as he’s your mate!” Lucas snapped sounding worried and a little confused.

“Who is?” Kris asked again, wondering if he had missed half the conversation.

Lucas frowned, “The omega who I’ve just rushed here! I mean I only recognised the symbol because Dad was a sick twisted fuck who took copies of all our mating marks when he could but…”

“What omega?” Kris cut in, “Two are in that room just over there, and the other three are on route here to pick me up after visiting Zitao and Shixun and none of them have been rushed into A&E.”

A look of horror crossed Lucas’s face before he suddenly reached forward to grab hold of Kris’s hand, “Come with me, come with me right now!” The smaller alpha began tugging the older away.

For a second Kris was tempted to pull back, to demand what was going on but felt a kick in his guts that told him he needed to follow his brother during this crazy time. Though he did turn back to see that Zitao was standing the doorway, looking concerned and confused. “Take care of Shixun for me.”

Zitao nodded, his face ghostly white, “Take care of Jun-ma…for both of us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors babbling: okay, so I know I promised no more twists and turns for a while but yeah...my brain is a little bit crazy and this story likes surprising me sometimes too. 
> 
> On the plus side, damn I forgot how fun Zitao is actually to write and making him dominant and all kick ass alpha is so much fun. Don't get me wrong, I love baby Panda but there is something just so edible about alpha Tao ain't there? Plus my god it's been so long since I wrote Taohun and my feels are hitting me so much. I would share a load of pics with you guys but I'm sure it'd just make you sad so I wont. Then alpha and alpha too is even more delicous, bites at the pair of them. Right sorry, I'll get myself out of the gutter though I can't promise for how long. 
> 
> Jun-ma is safe, before anyone starts panicking and boy they're going to need a full house renovation and a hell of a lot of good fortune after this otherwise I'm going to get so badly kicked up the behind aren't I? 
> 
> Neeways, hope you enjoyed and catch you on the flip side. 


	21. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kray smut incoming

Murder, death and outrage where the main thoughts rushing through Kris’s mind as he desperately tried to focus on keeping himself calm. He had come into contact with alpha rage only a handful of times in his life and those instances had not been pretty in the slightest. But to feel it boiling through his own veins at the moment, was a mixture of liberating and downright terrifying. Kris did not trust himself at the moment to do anything, other than to leave the room he had managed to seclude himself in, because he was sure of one thing only. He was going to track down his bastard of a father and murder him if he got the chance to do so. 

But thankfully he had enough sense to know that it was a very stupid idea to go out and exact his revenge like that. Especially over an omega whom he had just met and barely even knew. 

Even if his inner wolf was demanding blood be spilt for what had happened to Junmian. 

Kris did not even know the full story; he only knew the tiny bit of information that he had overheard from Shixun and that did not even cover half of it. At least not from what he had seen of the omega who was lying in the bay just on the opposite side of the corridor. They were prepping him for emergency surgery but had already stated openly that the chances of survival were low as there was just too much infection in the body. They would do everything that they could of course, even saying that it may be possible to save the omega by performing amputation, but it was a risk. 

Kris could only say yes to everything because even if he did not know the omega in the slightest, he wanted above everything else, for him to survive. Even if it was just so he could bring the stricken creature into their family for a short time before they passed so that they could feel the warmth and affection of a true family that loved and cared for one another. 

Junmian was a wreck, which was the politest way to describe the omega in the bed. He was virtually skin and bones, with clear indicators of multiple broken bones, fractures and skin liaisons from things that Kris did not want to think about. Bruises were all over his body, some fresh and new, others old and never quite healed properly. Burn marks were also present, along with rope marks and other indicators of a long term series of abuses which had been inflicted upon the omega. There were open wounds that had not been treated properly, or had been forced to reopen multiple times, with several long gashes down the inner part of the omega’s thighs which looked like they had never even been treated properly. They were infected with sepsis and gangrene, it was a horrible sight to behold and Kris had felt nothing but rage building up in his heart, body and mind. 

The first chance he got, he walked away and closed himself off, needing to cool down and focus before he did something stupid to someone who did not deserve it. He could not believe that an alpha could be that cruel to an omega, it was just too horrible to think about. But he could fully believe that it was his father who was responsible for it. 

“Where is he?” Kris asked as he heard the door open and knew that Lucas was stepping in, cautiously so as not to get jumped and attacked. 

Lucas blew out a sigh, “Somewhere on his private boat but I’ve got the cops tracking him down now.” 

“How long have you’ve known about him…doing this sort of thing?” the level of threat was not really needed but Lucas fully understood his brother in this moment. He had every right to be angry, hurt and filled with the rage he was trying to control. 

Lucas shook his head, “I found out yesterday evening. When I was checking out some of the banking and discovered the ‘Honey Pot’ fund. I don’t know everything, but he’s basically been taking certain omegas away from prominent families and forcing them into a life of slavery and prostitution for years…I don’t want to even think of how long it’s been going on or how many victims there’s been.” 

“How did you find this one?” Kris asked, turning slightly. 

An audible gulp came from Lucas, “A phone call came in from the family doctor, he thought that I was father and…he basically informed me that he was going to dispose of the omega because he was too ill. I managed to convince him to keep the other alive for just a little longer, claiming some random investor was interested and he bought it. I called the police and everyone I could think of straight after and then headed to that place myself.” 

Kris turned to look at Lucas, fully prepared to find himself staring at a sorry mess of a man as by his tone of voice that was the mindset that Lucas was in. Instead, he found himself looking at an alpha like himself, boiling over with rage that he was having to control. “Part of me wishes I never have gone there but in another way I’m glad I did. I found your omega in a terrible state, but I also found some my pack…my babies…and you do not need to know what he was doing to them. But believe me, it’s a fight between you and me on who gets to kill him first.” 

The taller alpha blinked slowly towards the other and deflated a little. They did not need to blow up at one another, that would be a bad situation to be in all together. Gently he took a few calming breaths, closing his eyes to focus and then looked at his elder brother. “You said that he had copies of our mate’s tattoo’s?” 

Lucas nodded, “Yeah…I’m not sure how he managed it, but he had a method of getting them. He had them all in a book and from what I understand…he was trying to eliminate some of them. Or punish them or us or something…I do not fucking know but he was tracking them down. Well at least the ones from prominent families anyway…” 

Shaking his head again, Kris let out a long exhale, “I don’t think I want to know right now.” 

“You don’t,” Lucas said, “I feel sick just thinking about this. But I swear to you, if I had found out sooner, that bastard wouldn’t be standing. All of us agree too and I swear that we’ll make this right.” 

Kris nodded, though his face was grim, “You best pray that Junmian survives this…” 

A gentle smirk came from Lucas, “I get the feeling he will somehow. I wanted you to know the plain truth, as much as I know it to be at the moment because I’m sure the next few hours are going to be hell for everyone concerned.” 

“Agreed,” Kris replied and then looked up at the clock. He knew that Junmian was going down to surgery now and it was all just going to be a long waiting game. He sighed and glanced towards Lucas, “Do yourself a favour, if you do have some of your mates out there. Go to them and take care of them. You don’t need to worry about me in the slightest. I’ve got too many people depending on me to go and do something stupid at the moment.” 

Lucas nodded, “Good. You too, even though I know it’s going to be hard, you take care of your own.” With that the alpha turned and left the room, leaving Kris along with his thoughts. 

Which lasted all of thirty seconds as Yixing suddenly appeared and rushed forward, catching the sides of Kris’s face in his hands and pressing a much needed kiss to his lips. The shock factor was enough to break the alpha out of his rage and for a moment he was confused but then all he could think about was the omega in his hands. How perfect Yixing felt, so delicate and refined with a body that was to die for and lips that knew just what he needed in that moment. The sweet innocent kiss changed abruptly, Kris licking a little harsher than normal to ask for entrance but Yixing gave him access with only a moan of satisfaction leaving his mouth. 

Arousal was quick to fill the air, the alpha pulling the omega as close to his body as he could manage before pulling back from the passionate kiss to curse a little as Yixing’s hands had dipped under the hemline of Kris’s trousers, straight past his underwear and one had cupped his buttocks, giving it a rough squeeze at the exact same time that his other hand had tugged at the semi-hard on that he was already sporting. A groan left Kris’s lips as Yixing started to pump him, knowing exactly how to excite his alpha and slowly he opened his eyes to blearily look at the other. “Yixing? We’re in a…oh baby…” 

Yixing lent forward to start biting at Kris’s collarbones, “I know where we are, I know that now’s maybe not the time, but I know you and you need a safe release from all this tension and anger.” He stopped his pumping of Kris’s erection for a few seconds to begin pulling down the alpha’s trousers, “and I’m that safe release right now. So, don’t think, don’t question, just let me take full care of you, my alpha.”

Seconds later, red hot lips were wrapping themselves around the tip of the alpha’s cock, causing the most obscene noises to come out but Kris took Yixing’s advice and just let everything be. Having sex with one of his omegas probably wasn’t the usual prescription for this sort of situation but it was doing a damn good job of distracting him right now. Kris groaned, placing his hand into Yixing’s hair, “Oh, yes baby, just like that.” 

Yixing went deeper onto Kris’s cock, licking teasingly as he hollowed out his cheeks to take more of the alpha in whilst reaching up to gently start fondling the alphas balls. Faintly in the back of his mind, he was sure that he heard both Luhan and Xiumin complaining at him, but they were both upstairs, introducing themselves to the new omega to the pack and the cubs so it wasn’t like either one was going to come gate crashing anytime soon. Plus, anyone with a nose could easily figure out what was going down in the room and knew to stay away. Alpha rage only had three releases, the first being for the alpha to kill whatever had caused the rage in the first place, the second being that the alpha died trying to kill whatever it was that had caused the rage in the first place and the final way was to have wildly passionate sex with a mate. Yixing knew this and he knew that Kris knew this as well and seeing as he was the only omega who realistically at the moment could safely give Kris the release he needed, he had acted on the instinct and was going to do whatever to save them all the grief of loosing their alpha to the police or death. With his whole heart and body. 

Throwing his head back as Yixing started humming around his cock, Kris allowed the groan of satisfaction to escape from his own throat, aware that any nearby medical staff would be able to hear him, but it was probably a better situation that having a pissed off alpha around vulnerable patients. He looked down at his first omega and could not quite believe the visuals that he was getting. Yixing was looked obscenely hot with his mouth stretched around his member, bobbing back and forth with well-practiced movements and just enough mixture of tongue and teeth to drive Kris completely up the wall. The fact that there was a knowing hotness in the others eyes whilst he was doing so, peaking up from those long eye lashes was just made Kris even more desperate for release and he lightly tugged at Yixing’s hair. The omega preened under the attention, squeezing his balls just a little harder to show his appreciation because Yixing had a thing for hair pulling. 

“Shit,” Kris cursed, feeling his hips move forward a little as Yixing knew exactly what to do to his body, “You’re going to make me cum so hard.” 

A whine of disappointment left the alpha’s lips when the warmth of the others mouth left his already aching member, but it was silenced not a moment later by those lips kissing up against his and the sound of cloth hitting the floor. “Then make sure it’s in me,” Yixing demanded, pushing the alpha back onto the bed and easily straddling the alpha who could already feel the slick that the omega was producing. Yixing pushed his buttocks up against Kris’s erection, rubbing himself up and down a few times to lube the alpha up. He knew that he could take Kris without a problem, had done so many times but the both of them agreed that things were so much easier when both Kris and Yixing were fully prepared beforehand. 

Yixing leant down to bite at Kris’s lips, “Want you in me, want you to breed me, alpha.” 

Kris growled towards the omega, grabbing hold of his hips and reaching around to his buttocks before using his long fingers to breach the fluttering hole there. “That I can do,” Kris replied, nipping back at Yixing’s lips, “Need you too baby. But let me just…” 

Knocking the others hand away, Yixing dived down sharply for another passionate kiss and pulled back only when they were both had burning lungs requiring air. “Just let me guide you,” was the reply as Yixing shifted himself upwards, taking hold of the alpha’s pride and lining it up with his entrance. For a second Kris panicked, fearing that Yixing was going to hurt himself on his behalf and rose a little to stop him, hand grabbing hold of the others slim hips. Only for a very satisfied groan to escape his lips as Yixing sunk down on him in one swift and beautiful movement. The alpha groaned loudly, the warm, familiar feeling around his cock satisfying in so many ways and it was a struggle to not start thrusting straight up into the other. 

On the other hand, Yixing had let out the sweetest sound of pleasure, his head held back as he savoured the feeling of being filled and stretched by his alpha’s cock. There was no better feeling for the omega, even the times when Kris would tease with his oh so long fingers never compared to this and it made Yixing feel complete. Letting out a breath he turned his attention back to his alpha and smirked in triumph. Kris looked wrecked, with slightly puffy lips from the little biting session, his hair messed up in a bird’s nest style and only lust and love radiating from his eyes. His hand was still on the omega’s hip, gently caressing to ensure that no pain was being caused and in that moment the omega was proud that he had been the one to bring the control back to Kris. 

Shifting his hips, a little in experimentation, Yixing moaned in satisfaction before starting to rock back and forth in a stead motion on Kris’s cock. Whilst it was usual to bounce up and down when riding an alpha, Yixing had always preferred to grind against Kris when he was guiding the pleasure and the alpha never once complained about it. In fact, once Yixing had managed to get a steady grinding rhythm going, the alpha was able to thrust his hips up in perfect synch with the omega, pushing his penis further into Yixing with every movement between their bodies until a high pitched keen came out of the omega. 

Kris smirked, knowing that meant he had found the spot and immediately took control, planting both his feet on the bed and thrusting up hard and fast into the same spot repeatedly. Yixing yelled out as the pleasure spiked through him in wave after hot wave and found himself pushing back against Kris with all his might. Chats of “Yes” and “Keep going”, “Just there,” filled the air along with the occasional grunts and moans of pure satisfaction. 

It was not until the final couple of thrusts that Kris realised that his knot had formed and with a particularly hard thrust upwards, he pushed himself in and released deep inside the omega with a yell of Yixing’s name. The omega on top of him stilled completely for a moment, before letting out a long, sweet moan as he came too, all over their shirts, untouched. Then collapsed down on top of his alpha, breathing heavily and chanting Kris’s name gently. Kris immediately wrapped his arms around Yixing, carefully repositioning the pair of them onto their sides to make it a little easier before placing a kiss onto Yixing’s lips, “You okay, baby?” 

“Hmm,” Yixing replied, nodding as he snuggled close to Kris, “You take me so good.” 

Wanting to point out that it was really the other way around, Kris opted not to correct the omega as instead he started to kiss and bite lovingly at the others neck. He was glad to notice that the rage had left him, replaced by the need to watch over his sleepy omega. He was still pissed off and wanted nothing more than to go and punch his father in the face with a sledgehammer but that was something that could wait for now. Instead, he gently fussed over Yixing, guiding him into a light snooze and protecting him from the nursing staff who arrived not ten minutes later with some cleaning supplies and a set of spare clothes. 

Kris did feel a little embarrassed, but the nurse waved him off, “Happens more than you know here. Why do you think we have a spare room all of the time?” 

That thought did kind of embarrass Kris further, but he chooses to focus instead of making sure that Yixing was comfortable in his post-sex slumber and once the knot had gone down enough, cleaned him up and dressed him so that he would be safe and warm. Though he did make sure to do a full scenting session on the omega too, because whilst he was fairly sure that Yixing was not due his heat yet, he did not want anyone to get the wrong ideas and think they could try to take his baby away from him. 

Though that caused a smirk to cross his face as he brushed strands of hair out of Yixing’s face, “Guess I really am your Big Bad Wolf, aren’t I, my little Yixing?” 

Kris drifted off into a light slumber as well, feeling content and more able to deal with the world right now but his first priority is to care for the sleeping omega in his arms. Which is why, a few hours later, he is rather surprised when a rather soggy plushi hits him in the face. “Minho!” Luhan chides, catching hold of the little boy and hauling him upright, “No! Don’t do that to Baba, he’ll wake up when he’s ready.” 

Minho, still somehow in human form, pouts towards his mother and then turns and once again bashed Leebit – a white rabbit with a funny expression – off the side of Kris’s head. The reason why he was a little soggy was that Minho was now going through the teething stage and liked to chew on anything that he could. This included his favourite plushi toy, which was a design Kris had come up with for his fashion company as he wanted to make a children’s clothing line for his own cubs. The fact that both Chan and Minho had taken to the two characters he had based off them was something that the alpha found adorable, even if he had not told the rest of the pack the connection as of yet. 

But there was still something rather icky about getting his by a soggy toy and Kris sighed, “Okay, okay, I’m up. Geeze, Minho we really need to get you something else to chew on. Leebit has been through the wash enough times already.” 

Minho pouted, let out a sound as he threw the toy on the floor and made grabby hands towards Kris who rolled his eyes and took the boy into his arms. “Seriously? I’ve only been gone about an hour or two.” 

“That is literally forever in baby terms,” Luhan replied, then smirked towards Yixing who was groggily waking up and cheekily smacked his behind, “Though didn’t know you got your rocks off to mister angry pants over here.” 

“Hey! Give over!” Yixing snarled back, always the one who was never impressed about being woken up after sex. Especially something as mind blowing as that had been but he let a long sigh, “I can’t help it if he’s so hot when he’s angry, can I?” 

Luhan snorted, “Whatever Yixing, you kinky bastard.” 

“Says the one who turned the dorm into a personal pleasure palace with plans to make us all have a group orgy with Kris,” Xiumin stated in a matter of fact tone as he tried to retrieve Leebit from Chan who was dutifully sitting on the floor attempting to clean the poor rabbit with a tissue. 

A blush crossed Luhan’s face, “Shut up!” 

“Excuse me, when did this happen and why wasn’t I involved?” Kris asked, settling Minho on his lap whilst trying to stop the boy sucking his fingers. Which ended up with Minho sucking on Kris’s thumb instead. 

“You decided that it would be a great night to pull an all night study session in the library and the flat below decided it would be fun to set their kitchen on fire,” Yixing replied, stretching a little as he stood up from the bed. “Which set of the sprinkler system and virtually wrecked everything. By the time you actually came back home, we had everything sorted and gave you the cold shoulder for three days.” 

Kris blinked, “Oh…right. I did wonder what I had done that time.” 

Xiumin chuckled, shaking his head, “Well now you know. Baby, will you give me Leebit so I can put him in a bag to take home for the wash? You’re not going to get him any cleaner.” 

“But Wolf Chan doesn’t need a wash and I clean him every day!” Chan replied, determined to keep up with his little task. 

Yixing blinked and shook his head, “Way too cute.” 

Kris glanced at the clock on the wall and then towards the window, “Does anyone know if Junmian is back up yet?” 

“Who?” three voices asked him at the same time before the alpha blew out a sigh. 

“Shixun’s elder brother, whose one of my omegas,” Kris replied, standing up as well, “Lucas found him and recognised the symbol on his arm hence why he came to get me.” 

Yixing nodded, “I can go check if you want, we just didn’t know his name was all.” 

“Hell no,” Luhan said, standing up, “You reek of sex and I don’t care that you work here, you’ll never get your answers because everyone will be teasing you. I’ll be back shortly.” 

Kris nodded and looked at Xiumin, “How’s Tao and Shixun doing?” 

“Both had fallen asleep when we left, Shixun from the sedative and I think our baby alpha had exhausted himself with worry,” Xiumin replied, picking up Chan and the two plushi’s he was now hugging. “We got a couple of words out of Shixun but he’s a very shy big bean, so I think we’re going to have to take it slow with him.” 

Yixing nodded, “He’s very taken with Zitao though, so that’s going to make things just a little bit easier.” 

Kris let out a breath he did not know he was holding as he adjusted Minho in his arms, not entirely sure when he had taken to holding the cub but not really worried about it. “Good, I just hope I don’t scare him off too much.” 

Yixing blinked, “You mean…both of them?” 

Kris nodded, showing the tattoos on his arm which were still faint but slightly more defined, “Yeah…not sure how it’s going to work between me, Tao and Shixun but…” 

“Well, he’s not scheduled to be back for another half an hour,” Luhan cut in, returning, “but they’re going to have to keep him in isolation overnight as they’re still not sure if he’s going to make it. We’re about to be herded out home though, but we can come back for late night visiting if you want?” 

Another nod came from Kris as he stood up, “I think that’s for the best. Plus, we need to get these two home and to bed. Especially if Chan is to go to day care tomorrow.” 

A bright smile came across Chan’s face at that, “Yay! Day Care! See Sonson!” 

“New friend,” Xiumin filled in with a smile, “They’re apparently inseparable according to the teacher.” 

Kris nodded, ruffling the boy’s hair, “Well it makes sense. It’s a good thing that Chan is making friends.” 

“Mama, can I take Wolf Chan with me tomorrow? I promise not to get him dirty,” Chan asked, ignoring the head pat from his father. 

Xiumin sighed, “We shall see. Come on, let’s get you and your brother home, bathed and into bed.” 

“Yay! Bath time!” Chan called, sounding way too happy to be having a bath for one so young. Though Kris smirked as immediately the child started singing the rubber ducky song and chuckled, “Remind me to record him singing this song so we can embarrass him to his future mates?” 

“Already have about three hundred videos of you and him singing it,” Luhan replied with a laugh, holding onto Yixing’s hand as they left. Though he snuck an arm around the alpha’s waist seeing the look in his eyes as they left the building. “They’ll be okay, all three are in the best possible care. You know that.” 

“I know,” Kris sighed, “Still doesn’t take the fear away.” 

~*~

Three hours later, Kris was back at the hospital for late visiting hours, alone as he thought it best. Plus, his omegas were tired and needed their own rest before anything else. The alpha knew that he would not be able to sleep without checking on the other three in the hospital anyway, so he was headed back there regardless. He made sure to give all three of the omegas at home proper good night kisses, as well as a nice scenting just because he could do so and was still in a little bit of a protective mode but none of them complained. 

Neither did Chan or Minho but they were both just happy to get a full night’s attention off their Baba with him bathing them, getting them dressed for bed, reading them a sleepy story and tucking them in. Kris had felt so calm being able to do that for his sons and made sure to grab pictures for the memories book. Though he did manage to steal the two Leebit and Wolf Chan to put in the wash as Minho was determined to drool over the pair of them. When he got back, he would ensure to take the two plushi’s back to his sons so they would not know that they had ever been gone. 

Locking the front door, the alpha was quick to get into his car and drive to the hospital, glad that the roads were fairly quiet and got parked. Heading in, he registered himself in as a late night visitor and headed up to the wards that he needed to go to. Zitao was still up, reading through one of his course books that they had dropped off and making notes though he had already informed his teachers that he would not be in for a few days via e-mail. They were taking it extremely well but apparently word had spread about him and Shixun as the guy in the store had a sister who was in the same class as the younger omega and he had told her. Kris petted Zitao and told him that everything was going to be okay and spent a few minutes with the alpha omega just generally talking ensuring that he was not going to have any nightmares or believe in ghosts or something. 

Tao had pouted at him, saying he was too big and brave to believe any of that stuff, but Kris still had to leave his heavily scented jumper with the other just because he was ‘cold’. Kris thought it was adorable and kissed Zitao a good night before heading to the ICU. 

Shixun was still asleep, the sedative having knocked him completely out, but his readings were good, and they doctors were sure that he had come around to the situation just fine. Kris kept his visit short and sweet, easily able to recall how scared the omega had appeared to be of him just standing in the doorway not five feet away from him, but he did leave behind a little fox plushi from the line that he had created which held a light scent from everyone. Taking baby steps for introducing their new member to the pack was probably the best way to go and if he could get the omega used to his scent, then hopefully Shixun would know that he was not in any danger. 

The final visit to the isolation ward saw Kris having to wear protective scrubs, gloves and a mask as he was led to the room where Junmian was. The alpha felt his heart break as he looked upon the omega, who was lying behind a protective plastic screen. Junmian looked so small, so delicate and broken that Kris wanted nothing more than to just scoop him into his arms, take him home and rest with the pack but he knew that it would probably lead to the poor creature’s demise. Gently he reached a hand through the hole in the wall, which had a protective film over it, so that he could take hold of the sleeping figures hand. “Hey there,” Kris started, not entirely sure if the other would even know that he was there or not, “I know this is all very scary for you right now and neither of us know each other but I promise you, Junmian, that I’ll be there for you. I will be the best alpha to you in the entire world because you deserve it. I do not care what they’ve had to do to you in order to make you live, just as long as you do live. All the pack want to meet you, they want to make you feel welcomed and above loved which I promise you, you will be.” 

He lowered his head, “I am sorry for what my father did to you and believe me, we will both see that he gets his comeuppance for every single life that he has destroyed through whatever sick game he’s been playing.” Kris took a deep breath and looked up towards the still sleeping Junmian, “But don’t let that bother you right now. I’m going to take care of you, I’m going to love and treat you right and help you get through this. That I promise you from the bottom of my heart.” Sighing again, Kris leant as close as he could to the omega, “I wish I could kiss you right now, wish I could hold you in my arms and let you know that everything will be all right but I’ll just have to wait until you wake up so I can prove it you in person. Please, just don’t fear me and don’t confused me for that horrible man because I swear to you, Junmian, I am not him and I will never be him.” 

Going quiet, Kris spent the rest of his visit just quietly staring at Junmian’ s sleeping form, once in a while squeezing the others hand to let him know that he was there until it was time for him to head back home. It took an awful lot of strength for him to let go of the omega, to take off the protective clothing and even get to his car but he knew that he would be back home tomorrow and hopefully soon, he’d be bringing all three of the omegas home. Though they were going to need to do some serious house renovations now, as there was not going to be enough room for everyone in the slightest. He could only hope that there would be enough in the budget to manage something or he honestly did not know what they were going to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> authors babbling:
> 
> Yixing knows how to deal with an angry Yifan lol and yes, in case anyone's wondering the childrens clothing line/plushi's are the Skzoo characters as hinted in Eight before if you're reading that update and it just fits that our crazy galaxy dragon would design something like those cute things for his cubs so he could make them look even cuter in my head lol. 
> 
> Junmian is going to be safe but he is also going to be a disabled character which is going to change up a lot of things too but we shall see how that goes in the later chapters. Also I don't plan on doing much with the full NCT crew - cause just bloody hell, that would be even more insane than what I'm dealing with now - but they may pop up in conversation from time to time. 
> 
> Plus Yifan's father is going to get what is coming to him, big time. 
> 
> For now though, our alpha has a lot of love to give and gain so he'll mainly be focusing on that. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed and please check out the other two stories as well, seeing as I managed to update all of them this weekend 


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